


Legacy

by Scribe32oz



Series: Seven Scrolls [15]
Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Action, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Chases, Ensemble Cast, F/M, Interracial Relationship, Novella, Rescue, Romance, Series, Western, estabished relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-02-18 20:51:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 68,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13108302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scribe32oz/pseuds/Scribe32oz
Summary: When the family of an old enemy comes to Four Corners seeking vengeance on Alexandra Styles, Vin Tanner is forced to deal with the consequences of the dark actions she'd undertaken to ensure their happiness.





	1. The Announcement

 

Of all the things Vin Tanner never expected to be after Ely Joe’s treachery had caused a price to be put on his head, being engaged was the unlikeliest.  

Even when he fled with Charlotte Richmond, with dreams of going to Brazil to live a new life, he never considered it. After all, the act of leaving with Charlotte seemed so final, the details such as courtship, engagement, and even a wedding seemed trivial after the fact. All Vin cared about during those days of madness, was simply being with Charlotte. He never thought beyond going to Brazil where they would share each other’s lives for the rest of their days.  

Vin supposed after spending so much time with the Indians, where the ritual of claiming someone for your own was nowhere as rigid, he had forgotten things were different in Christian society.  Only after the business with Nicholas Serfontein where his relationship with Alexandra Styles was placed under scrutiny, did he realised he had done her a disservice.  After all, it was clear to the entire town of Four Corners, they were courting from the night he turned up to the dance with Alex at his arm. 

Even before that, Vin and Alex had been seen riding off together on Peso, her arms wrapped around his waist as they disappeared together for hours alone. And considering the night of the dance was also the night Vin had taken Alex’s virginity, he supposed he should have at least made some formal declaration regarding what existed between them. 

Certainly, such a declaration had quelled the wagging tongues of innuendo when Chris Larabee and Mary Travis had done the same. For years before the gunslinger and the newswoman had announced their intent to marry, the town had simmered with accusation regarding the nature of their relationship. Vin was surprised to see how their effective the announcement to marry, made discreetly in the Notice Section of the Clarion News, silenced all speculators. 

Of course, in the case of Vin and Alex, there were complications. 

The announcement in the Clarion News only referred to the engagement of Doctor Alexandra Styles, without naming her fiancé. After all, Vin still had a price on his head and it would take only one bounty hunter see his name next to hers in any announcement to realise the way to claim the $500 reward was to come after Alex. Nevertheless, the announcement was good enough for the townspeople of Four Corners and Vin was satisfied Alex’s reputation remain intact. 

Still, the fallout from the Klan’s presence in Four Corners left behind an indelible impression on Alex. Having been the main target of the Klan’s hatred, Alex was kidnapped by Francis Lamont and subjected to abuses that left visible bruises on the doctor’s skin for weeks, despite her dusky colouring. While it gained her sympathy, it also revealed indirectly, the shame of those who’d allowed the Klan’s vile rhetoric to infect their view of their neighbours. Privately, Vin was forced to sneak into her house beneath anyone’s notice to comfort her while she slumbered. 

During her ordeal with Lamont, Alex had been forced to take refuge within an old well and inadvertently became trapped there. Vin had recalled Alex telling him of her fears regarding small, dark spaces and had Alex’s father, William Styles been alive, he would have told the tracker of a fall into an abandoned meerkat warren when she was four.  The burrow had been no more than six feet deep but it was tight and cramped, leaving Alex with a lifetime phobia whose cause she no longer remembered. 

It took weeks for her to be able to sleep without waking up shaking and after a night at Nettie Well’s, Vin and Alex had the long awaited discussion about their relationship they’d avoided until that point. In becoming engaged, Vin found himself one step closer to respectability, although the price on his head still lingered, waiting like the Sword of Damocles to fall.  As one who had never truly been happy or contented until he looked across the street and met the ice cool gaze of a black garbed gunslinger, Vin feared nothing this good could last. 

Eventually, something bad was going to invade his happiness. He just didn’t know what. 

Except it was not Vin Tanner who would be bringing forth the calamity, it would be Alex. Across the sea, the wheels of revenge had been set in motion logn before the news of their engagement had reached them. If anything, it served to add fuel to an already vengeful fire.  Even if Vin's name was absent from the engagement notice, the presence of Alex's name was enough. 

The family had known where their favourite son had fallen and why he travelled across the world to America. While they indulged his foolishness, largely because as the eldest son of their family, he had the right to do as he pleased, allowing him to die because of it was another matter. When the cause of the death was over a half-caste exile from London society, the sting of his loss was unacceptable. 

Especially when they knew he travelled to the Americas for a woman who had given the same hand he wanted in marriage to someone else.  By the time the announcement was made, the plans for vengeance were already afoot and only serve to stoked the fires of rage of those prepared to deliver it.


	2. New Arrivals

“You nervous Pard?” Vin Tanner as Chris Larabee as the two men sat outside Chris’ shack, trading a bottle of whisky while they enjoyed the evening sky, far away from the noise and activity of Four Corners.

While the land around the immediate area of the shack had been somewhat cleared, the grass beaten into dirt by regular traffic and the building that had gone on, they were still surrounded by vegetation on all sides. Further out, there was only knee high grass turning gold, burnt by the New Mexico sun while even further out then that, tall clusters of aspens stood like sentinels watching over the property, their green leaves becoming the colour of honey. They stood against a vibrant sapphire sky, smeared with glorious shades of amber as the sun bled out of the world.

Vin enjoyed coming out here and though he told the rest of the seven back in town that it was to let Chris know what was going on or to bring supplies, the truth was, he liked the quiet of the place. A man could think clearly out here, where back in town, the stomping of feet against the boardwalks, the chatter of too many voices, often with little to say of any value and the constant rumble of people going about their business, proved too much of a distraction.

While he wouldn’t trade what he had in Four Corners for anything, especially now, Vin sometimes missed the days when his life meant being out in the wilderness, having only his thoughts for company.

“Nervous?” Chris glanced at Vin, taking a swig of whiskey from the bottle and relishing the burn as it made its way down his throat, before handing it to Vin.

“Yeah, you know with the wedding.”

Chris didn’t quite smile but his lips curled enough to show his amusement. He’d seen the notice in the newspaper this week and even if Vin wasn’t mentioned specifically, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind, he was the other half of the couple mentioned in the engagement notice involving Alexandra Styles. Thanks to Nicholas Serfonteine and the goddamn Klan shining the ugly light of suspicion on Vin and Alex’s relationship, it had become necessary for the couple to make a formal declaration about their romance.

Prior to that, there was little doubt the two had been courting, what with the whole of Four Corners witnessing the somewhat scandalous way Vin and Alex would ride double on Peso, out in the wilderness for hours on end. Sure it wasn’t proper but Chris had liked seeing them together. It reminded him of how carefree he and Sarah had been in the early days of their courtship, though Hank would have killed him dead if he’d taken such liberties with his daughter.

Until then, the town had accepted their relationship as unconventional but kept the scandalmongering to a minimum because Vin knew how to be discreet when he shared Alex’s bed. There was no hint they were intimate even though Chris knew for a fact, Vin no longer spent his nights in his small wagon. The gunslinger still found a lot of amusement ribbing the tracker about the state he found them in the night Vin and Alex consummated their love. Besides, anyone who saw them together, would be able to tell how deep their feelings ran for each other.

Chris who was by no means a sentimental man, even when he was carrying on an equally passionate relationship with Mary Travis, knew true love when he saw it.

Of course, all it took was a racist fuck like Serfonteine to turn things sour. Chris’ jaw still tensed when he recalled hearing how some people actually found the idea of Vin and Alex having children offensive, because they would be half-breeds. God only knew what would have been Vin’s reaction if he had been privy to that line of thinking. Nevertheless, to repair Alex’s sullied reputation, it was decided they at least announce an engagement, even if Vin could not entertain the idea of marriage until his name was cleared in Tascosa.

“Not really,” Chris answered, aware Vin’s question was more for himself than anyone else. “If it’s anything like the first time, I just need to show up at the church and then it’s over.”

Vin absorbed that, saying nothing for a moment as he considered Chris’ answer before finally stating a moment later. “The engagement announcement went into the newspaper this week.”

“Yeah I noticed,” Chris nodded. “You okay with that?”

Vin shot Chris a look and took a sip from the bottle. “Yeah I’m fine, I guess.”

“You guess? You do want to marry her right?”

Vin turned his blue eyes back into the horizon. “Can’t do without her. She’s got my heart.” He said simply and that was enough for Chris to understand how much in love with his lady the tracker was.

“But?”

Vin stiffened, hating it sometimes that Chris Larabee knew him so well, Chris was able to draw out his anxieties like venom from a wound. “I would have liked it to be because we wanted to, not because we had to. Seems like we’re doing all this to keep people from talking. I mean I know it’s gotta be this way. She can’t do her doctoring if her name’s in the mud in town but still...”

“It’s just an engagement Vin,” Chris said kindly. “You don’t have to be married until you’re good and ready.”

“If I don’t get my name cleared, it could be never and if the wrong people get wind of what she means to me, it could mean a whole world of trouble.”

“Vin,” Chris stopped the younger man from going on before he worked himself up into a state. The trouble with Vin was, he spent so much time alone, he tended to do the same in his head, overthinking things until it drove him crazy. “Deal with it when it comes. You love Alex, don’t you?”

Vin stared at the ground, the tip of his boot made lazy circles in the dirt. “Yeah, though I never reckoned on a woman like her wanting someone like me. Yet when I look into her eyes, I know that’s all she wants. I don’t understand it.”

The lack of confidence, particularly with the opposite sex, was something Chris had encountered before. In their earliest days in Four Corners, Vin had been charmed by a woman named Jenny, whose agenda had been nothing less than the murder of Mary Travis. She had played Vin, using his insecurities about himself to make him care for her. Chris would have willingly killed the bitch for just how much damage that had done to the young man’s self-esteem. Later on, Charlotte Richmond had been no better, using Vin as a substitute for her husband. It left Vin feeling he would never be good enough for any woman.

Yet his relationship with Alex had always been different.

Considering the woman was a London educated medical doctor, their relationship was something of a mystery to those who didn’t know the couple. Chris understood it perfectly of course. During that business with Randall Mason, when Alex had ridden after Vin when Mason had given the tracker to bounty hunters, leaving Chris and Nathan to go after them both, they had talked about how such a thing could be.

Nathan who was closer to the lady doctor than possibly Vin himself, mentioned William Styles, Alex’s father, was a wanderer at heart, a free spirit who simply enjoyed travelling and seeing the world. Until his death, Alex had been his willing companion, travelling to faraway places most would only ever read about in books. Like Nathan, Chris realised it was this free spirit that Alex recognised in Vin and loved so much.

“Hell we ain’t meant to understand it,” Chris replied, taking the bottle back from Vin. “If we could understand what women thought, it would be like the second coming. Look Vin, it doesn’t matter why she loves you, only that she does. The rest of us can see it in her eyes when she looks at you. Don’t worry about anything else Vin, it’s all bullshit.”

“You gotta a nice way of turning a phrase, Chris.” Vin produced a half smile but took his words to heart as best he could. If there was one person in the world whose opinion mattered to him, it was Chris Larabee. Chris always played it straight with him, even though he could be an ornery cuss when the mood took him. The gunslinger didn’t have patience with mincing words or sparing anyone’s feelings, he just told you things the way they were. Furthermore, his counsel wasn’t something he gave unsolicited. If he had something to say, he said it because you needed to hear it.

“Thanks Pard,” Vin said with a faint smile. “Got another reason for coming up to see you though.”

“More than just wedding talk?” Chris smirked.

“Funny Larabee,” Vin gave him a look. He reached into his buckskin coat and pulled out a folded piece of paper before handing it to Chris.

Chris unfolded it and realised it was one of the wanted posters that came to the jailhouse frequently. JD would put them up on the board, dutifully removing the ones where the bounty had been collected. This particular poster belonged to Ambrose Wayne, a horse thief who’d been doing the rounds of the area, stealing the animals right out of their corrals and selling them individually for a tidy profit. The reward on his head was three hundred dollars, dead or alive.

“I was at Purgatorio a few days ago,” Vin spoke. “Got the word that Ambrose is showing up in the next few days. Figured I’d go stake the place out and pick him up.”

“For the bounty?” Chris stared at him, wondering how on Earth Vin expected to collect unless... “You want me to turn him in for the reward?”

“Yeah,” Vin nodded. “I figured, we’d split the money in half, if that’s agreeable to you.”

“That ain’t necessary,” Chris said automatically. “Money’s all yours. I’m not taking half just to deliver the son of a bitch.”

“It’s only right, I mean, no way I can do it myself and I need the money cause I want to buy Alex a ring.”

So that was it. “A ring?” Chris tried not to smile.

“Ain’t proper that she be engaged and have no ring,” Vin stared at Chris as if this was the most reasonable thing in the world. “I can give her that at least.”

“Fair enough but I still ain’t taking half,” Chris reiterated. “Stick it in a bank or something. Save up for the day when you do decide to have a wedding. Trust me, you’ll need every penny then.”

“You just saying that because Mary’s letting Inez plan yours,” Vin teased, having been in the Standish saloon enough in the last few days to hear Inez’s preparations for the thing. The bartender who was a force of nature on her own, had suddenly gone from stormy to twister in her envisioning of the ceremony, making every man present feeling grateful they weren’t Chris Larabee.

“Why do you think I’m hiding out here?” Chris grinned. “In any case, I ain’t taking the money and you should take Ezra with you when you buy the ring.”

“Why?”

“Because if there’s one thing Ezra Standish knows how to do, it’s to get something expensive for a lot less than its worth.”

* * *

The sun had well and truly disappeared behind the horizon of the Territory when the stagecoach rolled into Four Corners that evening. The Butterfield Overland Conchord and its team of six horses rumbled through the dirt street, picking up mild interest from the townsfolk as it passed them by. Distinct by its coat of red paint and bright yellow wheels, the coach always managed to appear pristine even though it should be covered with dirt and bull dust.

John Sorenson, the driver who often made this run, was a fastidious man and was known to wash the stage down when it stopped for the night, if it was possible to do so. Sorenson, a familiar face in the community, waved to one or two people as he directed the team of six horses towards Heidegger’s Four Corners Hotel, the agreed stop for the coach. As it was the most likely place of accommodation for most of the town’s visitors, it made sense. Furthermore, next to the granary and the Pemberton Emporium, it was the largest building in town.

Peering out of the window, the man studied the town through the veil of dust surrounding the stage as the carriage entered the last leg of its journey. As expected, it looked no different than the handful of settlements they’d passed on the journey here. Like those others, it was a place without colour or charm, so covered in dust it almost looked as if it had grown out of the desert instead of being constructed from wood and nails. Lights peered out of windows, winking at him in greeting, with passerbys, provincial pheasants all of them, paused and watched their progress to the hotel.

The stagecoach came to a halt with its usual rattle, shaking everyone inside its walls with one final bit of discomfort before disembarkation. Horses snorted their gratitude for the journey’s end, dispelling their exhaustion in loud, stilted pants as they waited patiently to be stabled for the night. Sorenson climbed off the driver’s box with Carl Fellows, his shotgun messenger, who had made the run with him at least a dozen times before.

Riley Marshall climbed out of the stage before Sorenson could open the door. Dressed in a suit Ezra Standish would consider well-made, his blue green eyes swept across the length of the street, as the fringe of his blond hair blew back against the light breeze in the air. In his early thirties, Riley stood six feet tall and held a physique accustomed to exertion, if not hard work. He would be considered ruggedly handsome by most women he encountered and would no doubt turn many a female head during his stay in Four Corners.

Turning back to the coach, he took the gloved hand extended through the door and helped the woman within emerge from the Conchord. Dressed in a deep red suit, with high neck shirt and matching hat, the woman was as equally handsome as the man helping her out of the carriage. Her blond hair was styled fashionably and she met his gaze with clear blue eyes. Once her dark boot touched the ground, she scanned the street and frowned.

“So this is the place. Are you certain about this Riley?” She asked him, as if hoping he were wrong about their locale so they could climb back on board the stage and return to civilisation.

“Absolutely,” he said with confidence, helping her out of the stage as Sorenson conferred with a thin, reedy looking man in an ill-fitting suit who appeared to be the hotel porter. Meanwhile Fellows began unloading their luggage. Riley noted the hotel in front of him and had to admit it did have possibilities. It still looked as dust ridden as the rest of the town but it was large enough and the patronage if he could judge by the noise emanating from the saloon attached to it, was robust and lively. No doubt the hotel did good business on their custom alone.

Confident their luggage was being attended to, Riley and Cassandra headed into the hotel to get settled in.

* * *

Truth be told, Ezra Standish would prefer to do his fleecing while he was in his own tavern, or rather the tavern belonging to his mother. However, Ezra never found it as satisfying to be there when the rest of his associates were not. Although he would be hard pressed to admit it, the saloon did not feel right when the seven weren’t present and Ezra felt it most profoundly, when he was alone in the place. Unfortunately, tonight his friends were busy with their own personal occupations.

Mr Larabee was presently hiding out at his shack to avoid shooting Inez whose planning of his wedding was starting to make the taking of Gettysburg appear simple. Mr Dunne was having supper with the lovely Miss Wells at her aunt’s homestead, while Mr Jackson was studying for the equivalency exam he would have to take to become a qualified doctor. Mr Sanchez had the duty at the jailhouse while Mr Tanner was conducting business of his own out of town, and wherever Mr Wilmington was, it was sure to include a woman and a bed.

Ezra himself could not remain in the saloon for long. Glancing at the clock suspended over the shelves of liquor and glasses behind the bartender of the saloon, Ezra knew he could remain for just another half an hour before he went to meet Julia at her emporium. They made dinner plans earlier in the day and Ezra wished to be there to greet her when her day was done. A warm bloom of emotion filled him at the thought of Julia Pemberton, the feisty, scheming Easterner he loved with all his heart and was his spiritual soul mate.

Tonight, the hotel saloon was filled with the usual crowd. They included the regular barflies that remained at the counter, no matter what time of day it was, cattle hands who were in town for the night, hoping to cajole a working girl or two into their bedrooms and the locals who liked the respectability of the hotel to do their drinking.

“Well gentlemen,” Ezra declared following the groan of annoyance rippling through his opponents seated at the felt covered table with him, “I’m afraid I’m going to have to take my leave of you. I have engagements elsewhere.”

In front of him, the cards facing his opponents revealed a full house, a hand none of them were able to match and so the small collection of bills and one finely wrapped cigar, was his. Ezra collected his winnings, taking note of their faces, making sure no one’s annoyance shifted into murderous anger which sometimes happened when the sting of defeat was too much for them to bear. Fortunately, his derringer was tucked neatly beneath the cuff of his jacket sleeve to mediate any disagreements.

Straightening up, Ezra caught sight of a new face stepping into the saloon. The stranger, with his fair hair and blue eyes, seemed oddly familiar, though Ezra didn’t know why. As it was, the seven took interest of all strangers drifting into town, mostly because such intelligence usually gave them the foresight to know if trouble was coming. The man went to the bar to order a drink and Ezra decided to play good soldier for Mr Larabee by finding out something about the man, since it was likely the black garb gunslinger would want the intelligence.

Stuffing his bills into his pocket, Ezra glanced at the clock once more and realised he could spend ten minutes on this endeavour before he had to go meet Julia. Maintaining his usual air of nonchalance, Ezra took up position next to the stranger at the counter and gestured at the bartender to bring him a shot of whisky.

As he stood there, he pretended to notice the man, giving him a once over before replying, “I do not believe I have seen you in this locality before? Are you new to town Sir?”

The man broke into a faint smile, “I am. I’ve just arrived here from Melbourne.”

“As in Australia?” Ezra raised a brow, even though the accent immediately gave him away. While it didn’t quite sound English, there was enough similarities to offer confusion.

“That’s right,” the man nodded. “I’ve decided to invest in the area. I’m told the region is gaining prominence and I thought a small place like this would have good potential.”

“Well with the railroad opening up, your assertion is not far from incorrect. There are plenty of opportunities here to an individual with the working capital and the acumen to exploit it. Permit me to introduce myself, I am Ezra Standish.” Ezra extended his hand as a glass of whisky was placed in front of him.

“Please to meet you Mr Standish, I am Riley Marshall, formerly of Melbourne, Australia.” Riley took the gambler’s hand and shook it. “I take it you are a resident of these parts?”

“I am,” Ezra nodded. “I take some interest in maintaining law and order in this community. I own the Standish Saloon across the street and feel it my civic duty to ensure the clientele of all establishments in Four Corners, feel safe and secure.”

“An admirable goal,” Riley noted, thinking this dapper Southerner did not at all sound like a lawman but in this savage world, anything was possible. “And how is business?”

“It could be better but as more settlers move in, it will improve I am convinced,” Ezra said smoothly. “I imagine your native country of Australia is much the same? I am surprised you would travel so far for opportunity when Australia from what I know of the land, is also a place ripe for the entrepreneur.”

“It is,” Riley agreed, “but truth be told, I am a recent widower and wished for a new start where there were not so many memories of my dear wife.”

“I am sorry,” Ezra said sympathetically, trying to show sincere feeling in that regard if the stranger’s story were true but for some reason, his gambler’s sixth sense was telling him something was not quite right. However, whether the feeling straddled the uncertain terrain between a white lie and menace was unknown at this point so Ezra simply made note of it for now. “I can appreciate the need for change after such a loss.”

“Thank you,” Riley replied graciously.

The clock above the bar revealed it was time to go and Ezra decided the subject matter gave him a perfect segue to make his departure. “I’m afraid I have a prior engagement and must take my leave of you. I do hope to see more of you in the future. I have never been to Australia but I would be interested in hearing more about it.” With that, Ezra tipped his hat, downing his drink with one neat swallow before stepping away from the bar.

“I will be happy to tell you all about it Mr Standish. Have a good evening.”

“Likewise,” Ezra returned and left the saloon to meet Julia.

* * *

It was a universal truth that if there was a young woman of marriageable age, who was beautiful and unattached, it was highly likely she would be discovered by Buck Wilmington within thirty minutes of her arrival in Four Corners. When the visitor just off the stage, decided she would take a turn of the boardwalk to stretch her legs after the formalities of checking in were taken care of at the hotel, she was immediately noticed by everyone on the street.

It was difficult for her to go unobserved in any crowd. For a town blessed with a number of beautiful women, she stood out as something new and those who happened to notice her, eyed her with interest and admiration. Buck Wilmington, who once again was driven to a stalemate in his ongoing battle to win the hand of the fair Inez Recillos, sighted the woman as she left the hotel and immediately staked his claim.

Way too many women were being stolen out from under his nose lately. First, the lovely Doctor Styles who breezed into town months ago, dazzling not only him but both Ezra and Vin. Fortunately, Buck was not heartbroken about missing out on Alex’s affections because she and Vin were so good together, even the Lothario’s heart was warmed by the love he saw there. No, what had stung, was missing out on Julia Pemberton, the beautiful emporium owner with the alabaster skin who he tried so hard to win only to realise she’d set her cap for Ezra Standish.

It was enough to make him think his animal magnetism was on the wane.

“Good evening Miss,” Buck greeted as he came alongside the beautiful woman, following her Lily of the Valley perfume. “I ain’t seen you around here before, I take it you just came from the stage?”

Cassandra turned to the tall stranger who’d presumed to join her on her walk. Reminding herself it was the custom in the New World, particularly in these parts, for men to simply begin conversations with women they did not know, without the benefit of the introduction, Cassandra flashed him her most dazzling smile. Aside from being tall, his features were handsome even if the most prominent thing about him was the thick moustache. He looked very much like the quintessential ‘cowboy’ that ruled much of the West.

“I did,” she said pleasantly. “I thought I’d take a turn of the boardwalk to stretch my legs.”

Buck raised a brow at the accent. “You’re English.”

“Why yes I am.” She smiled, “I suppose my accent is somewhat obvious.”

“Yeah it is, but I also know another young lady in town who talks the same way. She’s English I think."

“You think?”

“Yeah,” Buck nodded because it occurred to Buck then that Alex may have sounded like this beautiful woman in front of him but he didn’t know for sure if she’d been born in England. He made a mental note to ask Vin about it later. “She’s got your accent but I ain’t sure she’s from your neck of the woods.”

“Well the Empire is more than England,” Cassandra replied, understanding his dilemma now. “I am Cassandra Heglund, just arrived from London.” She offered him her hand.

Buck took it and kissed it in the fancy fashion she was probably accustomed to before he introduced himself. “Buck Wilmington at your service Miss Heglund. I’m one of the lawmen in town and if you’re wanting to take a turn, I’d like to play escort. We’ve got men who’ve ridden hard and been drinking all day since they hit town. At this time of night, it may not be safe for a lady as pretty as you to walk on your own.”

Instinctively, she swept her blue eyed gaze across the street and noted the only establishments open at this time of the night were either the saloons or the hotel. The clunking of a badly tuned piano and the lively chatter of voices emanating from the swing doors of the taverns seemed to confirm his comment. Elsewhere, the doors to other businesses were notably closed, with the lights in their windows blinking into darkness for the evening. Finally, the proportion of men on the street, as opposed to women, was inordinately high, too much to be considered comforting for any decent woman.

“I see what you mean,” she agreed with a nod and resumed walking, giving him a look that prompted him to join her. “And you are part of the constabulary Mr Wilmington?”

“Yes I am,” he grinned, pleased at the invitation. “We keep the peace around here, make sure no one gets rowdy, so decent folk can go about their business.”

“How admirable,” she replied, deciding he had a nice smile and a rustic charm to him.

“And what brings you here to Four Corners, Miss Heglund? This is a long way to come from England.” Buck remarked, thinking she had the prettiest blue eyes he’d ever seen and hoped she wasn’t just passing through for the night.

“Well I’m travelling with a friend of the family,” she explained. “He’s interested in buying the hotel and if he is successful, I would be installed as his singer.”

“Heidegger’s Hotel?” Buck said with surprise, unaware the German was intending to sell. Then again, if the money was good enough, the man would be a fool not too. Furthermore, with a songstress as pretty as this one taking the stage, every man in town would be fighting to get through the door to see her. Hell, he sure would.

“Yes that’s right,” Cassandra nodded. “Riley has been in correspondence with the gentlemen for the last month and we’ve arrived to finalise the sale.”

Mary was going to be pissed, Buck thought. Mary Travis usually had her ear close to the ground about such goings on. It would bother her to know such a sale was taking place without her having the least bit idea of it. It would be an affront to her journalistic integrity and Buck made it a point to tell her this news in the morning, just to see the reaction. Buck did love to get his fun where he could.

“Now that’s a surprise,” Buck said wondering what the new owner of the hotel would be like. Hopefully, the man didn’t get it in his mind to start raising prices. “And you’re a singer. I never would have pictured it.”

“Why not?” She asked as they crossed the street, now they’d reached one end of the boardwalk. By now the sun had truly set and the clear sky, revealed a moon that was full and glowing with unparalleled beauty. The light diminished the glitter of the stars nearest to it but still, the Territory sky’s breathtaking canvas could not be held back for long.

“Because, you look to me like a lady who should be riding around in fine carriages, with fancy footmen and maids, waiting on you hand and foot. You look way too beautiful to be singing in a hotel. You don’t send a thoroughbred to do menial work.” He said using Ezra’s favourite phrase.

“You are sweet,” she laughed. “I sing because I like to, Mr Wilmington. It’s a passion and I do it well.”

“No offense intended Miss Heglund,” Buck said quickly, not wanting to offend her. “I just think you are too beautiful a flower to be anything but worshipped by anyone who saw you.” His voice took on the tone of huskiness that allowed him to ride into the beds of many a young lady.

“Well I cannot say I am immune to being worshipped,” she winked at him, which only made his smile broader.

“I’m happy to be one of the converted,” Buck liked her humour.

“I have a feeling you’ve charmed many a goddess before me,” she teased. “What about this other woman with my accent? How do I know you haven’t fallen prey to other ladies of the Empire?”

Buck laughed, not about to trust himself with answering that question with anything resembling the truth. “You’re the only one I can think of that way Miss Heglund,” he said in mock hurt. “The other woman with your accent is a lady doctor who’s engaged to one of my best friends and those two, they only got eyes for each other.”

“A lady doctor?” Cassandra’s eyes narrowed in calculation. “I did not think there were such things.”

“Oh yeah,” Buck replied. “Alex is a real doctor from London. Came out here less than a year ago and set up shop. Seems she couldn’t doctor anywhere else on account she was a woman but that’s everyone else’s loss. She’s been real good for Four Corners.”

And it was true, Buck had to admit. Aside from making Vin happier than Buck had ever seen him before, Alex helped them through some tough scrapes since her arrival in town. From nursing their wounds to giving Nathan some relief in the burden of healing that had been his responsibility from the moment he hit town. More recently, her friendship with Nathan had evolved into her helping him to gain accreditation to become a real doctor, something the former slave richly deserved.

“Sadly, it is a man’s world,” Cassandra returned. “And does this lady have a name? I might call on her. It would be nice to meet someone who’s from England, especially when I start to feel homesick.”

“Oh I’m sure she’d like that,” Buck smiled, pleased to know Miss Heglund intended remaining in town for a while. As much as he harboured hopes with Inez, Buck had to accept the lady might never return his affections and he was a man with needs. If a gorgeous filly like Miss Heglund was within his reach, Buck was not going to waste the opportunity to get to know the woman. “Her name is Alexandra Styles and she has a clinic in town. If you want to meet her, just say the word.”

“I will take you up on that when I am settled Mr Wilmington,” Cassandra smiled. “I think I will quite look forward to meeting Doctor Styles.”

* * *

“ _How do I love thee? Let me count the ways._  
_I love thee to the depth and breadth and height_  
_My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight_  
_For the ends of being and ideal grace._  
_I love thee to the level of every day’s_  
_Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight._  
_I love thee freely, as men strive for right._  
_I love thee purely, as they turn from praise._  
_I love thee with the passion put to use_  
_In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith._  
_I love thee with a love I seemed to lose_  
_With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,_  
_Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,_  
_I shall but love thee better after death._ ”

Alexandra Styles lowered the book and raised her eyes to Vin Tanner who was lying next to her on the picnic blanket, his arms folded beneath his head as he stared up at the stars, listening to her recital. Just like he’d recite poetry to her, often spoken from the heart, she’d recited some to him from the books he couldn’t read, because as she once said, she couldn’t write a poem to save her life.

They were lying under the stars by the creek on the property belonging to Nettie Wells, as they sometimes did, with Peso tethered somewhere in the darkness. In the sky above, the stars and the moon listened to the exchange of poetic words with mild interest as they usually did when Vin and Alex came out here alone.

  
He’d come to collect her after he got back to town from Chris’s shack and they’d ridden out under the cover of darkness, with supper in a basket so they could share the evening together. Even if they were now officially engaged, whatever that meant, Vin made sure their departure remained unseen. People still thought it wasn’t proper for Alex to be riding with him double on Peso but it was one concession she would never give them and Vin loved her for it.

Something told him they would be doing it until the day that both of them were too old and grey to get on a horse.

“That one was pretty,” he commented.

“Elizabeth Barrett Browning,” Alex answered, crawling across the space between them to nestle herself comfortably in the crook of his arm. Lying next to him, she lifted her chin to meet his lips in a soft kiss before adding, “I still like your poetry better.”

“You’re just saying that ‘cause I’m saving you from becoming a mean ol’ spinster woman.” He remarked, a smile of teasing on his face.

“Yeah you’re right,” she nudged him in the ribs gently. “I’m obligated to agree with everything you say now because we’re engaged.”

Whether or not he knew it, Alex was rather happy by the fact they now had an understanding. The nature of Vin had always kept her from imposing formality on him. Part of why she loved him so much was his wild, untamed spirit. She could think of nothing worse than trying to make a farmer out of him, or force him into any vocation that would gut the heart out of his wandering soul.

Nevertheless, she wished to be engaged, not merely because she wanted it known he was her man, but also because she suspected he didn’t think he was good enough for her. Why this was so, Alex couldn’t fathom, considering how ardent his feelings had been from the moment he dared to express them to her.

In fact, it was right at this very creek, Alex realised she might love him, when her worries about operating on Ezra had spilled forth in tears of weakness. The moment Vin had taken her hands to offer her comfort, Alex felt her heart stop, as if it needed re-calibration because its definition of love had just received a reality check, and what she thought she knew of it until that point, was wrong. Even when they were trapped in Agnes Doherty’s cabin, where she’d almost made love to him, Alex realised how wrong it felt being with Ezra and how perfect wanting Vin was.

When Randall Mason came to town, the old friend who had become a living nightmare, she could no longer deny how she felt. Even though she wouldn’t say it to him until much later, she would not have given up her virginity to anyone she wasn’t in love with. When they consummated their relationship, it wasn’t a clumsy meeting of flesh but something beautiful, something she would remember until her last breath.

This skin clad barbarian as Randall so viciously described him, with the soul of a poet and the heart of a wanderer made her feel like the most precious thing in the world. Vin won her over with the sincerity of his feelings. She wanted to spend her whole life with him, to bear his children, and share all the things with him an independent woman like herself often scoffed at. Even better, he was one of those rare men that did not wish her to sacrifice her own dreams to be his.

“That make you happy Doc?” He asked suddenly, making her look up at him.

“Being engaged?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “I mean I know we’re doing it to keep folk from staying out of our business but it is what you really wanted right?”

“Would you marry me tomorrow if you could?” She asked instead.

Vin blinked, taken back by the question. His expression hardened as if he was trying to think of the best answer. “If it weren’t for this price on my head, yeah, I would.”

“Me too,” Alex answered. “I love you Vin, There’s never going to be anyone else. I wanted to be engaged because I want to be your wife someday and for right now, I want everyone to know I’ve chosen you for mine, no matter what happens.”

“I’m yours huh?” Vin smiled, liking the sound of that very much.

Whether or not she knew it, her words made his heart swell up in his chest like an inflating balloon. It had been a long road for him to get here, but she had been worth it. Tilting his head, he breathed in the scent of her hair and committed it to memory. He loved how her scent would cling to his shirts when he’d stayed overnight and she’d slipped it on instead of her robe, to go get a drink of water or something. It would stay with him all day.

“Yep,” Alex quipped. “You’re my man, Vin Tanner. I’ll call out any gal who tries to make a move on you.”

Her attempt to sound like a local was thoroughly ridiculous with her accent, making him laugh out loud.

“Okay, I’ll make sure I pass that along when I leave town.”

“Leave town?” Alex raised her head and stared at him. “You know, you fleeing town after we just put the announcement for our engagement doesn’t fill me with confidence.”

“I ain’t fleeing town,” he tickled the spot beneath her ribs that always made her squirm. “Just got some business to take care of for a few days and then I’ll be back. Just an outlaw needs picking up in Purgatorio.”

“Oh okay,” she nodded, perfectly comfortable with that. Of course she always worried when he went off to face God only knew what with the seven, but this too was part of what he was and she accepted it. He was the best tracker in the Territory according to Chris Larabee, and just like her skills as a doctor was needed, his skillset put him in demand. “Be safe for me?”

“Always,” he said kissing her nose. “Although I figured when we get back maybe we could go away somewhere. Just the two of us.”

“Really?” She eyed him, liking the idea of going away with him. “What do you have in mind?”

“I’m thinking some out of the way place where no one knows who we are,” he met her eyes with a sly smirk, “where we could spend a day or two in a room with a bed, and door that locks.”

“Mr Tanner, I like your thinking. Maybe I’ll leave a day earlier to go to Sweetwater and we can meet up somewhere out of town?” She suggested.

“I like that,” Vin agreed, wanting no repeat of the vilification that resulted because of Nicholas Serfonteine and his Klan. While Vin still snuck into Alex’s bed at nights, he was mindful of not doing it too frequently. Of course, the engagement made it easier for him to come and go but he always hated leaving her in the dead of night. He wanted to know what it was like to wake up with her in his arms, to spend a whole night together.

“Any idea where we should go?” Alex asked.

“Haven’t thought that far ahead yet,” Vin replied. “Didn’t think you were gonna be so easy.”

“Easy!” She swatted him on the shoulder. “You’d be very sorry if I withheld my favours Mr Tanner”

“I don’t know, I mean I only took you into my bed to keep you from turning into an old dried up maid.”

Vin loved to bait Alex, aware of just how magnificently she would rise to the occasion. In the early days of their relationship, before it had become a romance, their verbal sparring bordered between flirtatious and foreplay. They had gotten so much under each other’s skin there was only one way for them to end up. Either killing each other or falling madly in love. Vin was always certain it was going to be the latter.

“You’re funny,” she mounted him, her bottom grinding against his groin in challenge.

Loving the delicious weight of her against him, Vin slid both hands beneath her skirt, running his palms along her thighs, relishing the feel of them against his skin. “And you’re beautiful.”

“Now how am I supposed to stay mad at you when you say things like that to me?” Alex leaned forward and pressed her lips to his in a deep, searching kiss.

“Only one way to find out,” he took hold of her hips and flipped her over, so he could roll on top of her.

Alex laughed as she found herself on her back, her legs parting immediately so she could cradle him between them. “I love you cowboy,” she smiled, drinking in his blue eyes.

“I love you Doc,” Vin said before covering her body with his, to show her just how much.


	3. Meetings

When the stranger walked into the saloon the next day at noon, Chris Larabee was struck with a sense of familiarity, though he could not explain why.

While he did stand out amongst the other patrons of the Standish Saloon, in his expensive clothes, blond hair and refined features, a few seconds of deep scrutiny by the gunslinger produced no memory of ever meeting the man and yet the familiarity remained. Seated at the table with the rest of the seven, except for Vin who’d ridden out of town this morning to begin his hunt for Ambrose Wayne and JD who was doing his morning patrols, Chris had come in for Inez’s lunch time menu.

Although he and Mary were engaged, he was not so presumptuous as to assume she would automatically drop everything the instant he hit Four Corners. After all, she was still the editor of the Clarion News and her days were busy, writing her articles and being involved in community affairs. What was more likely, was after he was done with his duties as lawman of Four Corners for the day, he would share supper with her after a few drinks with his friends at the saloon.

By the evening, the establishment would stink of stale liquor, cigar smoke and sweaty bodies from the trail, but at this moment, what wafted through the place was the aromatic scent of cinnamon, scorched chilli, oregano and epazote. Aside from being able to plan a wedding like a deranged militant, Inez was a fine cook and the main reason why the saloon performed as well as it did. Of course it would take being dragged by wild horses across the Panhandles before Ezra admitted it.

“When did he get in?” Chris asked, waiting for his food while nursing a cup of hot coffee.

“The stage last evening,” Josiah Sanchez rumbled, noticing the man’s arrival before his meal of chilaquiles was served. “Apparently he’s interested in buying the hotel.”

Chris raised a brow at that. He was certain Mary would have mentioned it if someone was interested in buying the hotel. As one of the town’s recognised community leaders, Mary kept an eye on new people who would leave a significant mark on Four Corners.

“Really? I didn’t know the German was interested in selling.”

“Everyone’s got a price Chris,” Buck pointed out, his eyes following Inez flouncing around the room, serving customers, waiting for her to come back his way before he could make another ritualistic attempt to gain her attention. “I spoke to the filly he came to town with. Prettiest thing you ever saw, seems she’s going to be singing at the place when Heidegger sells.”

“Filly?” Nathan Jackson asked peering over his copy of Hanaoka Seishu’s Surgical Casebook which Alex loaned him for his studies to reach accreditation. “Man, do you have a divining rod for women or something?”

“He does,” Chris drawled with a wicked sneer, “it’s just below his belt.”

The comment drew a sudden burst of guffaws from all those present, with Buck wearing a grin on his face that revealed he was neither offended or unrepentant by his ability to find female company, no matter where he was. Leaning forward, he added with an equally triumphant smirk, “and the ladies all _love_ it.”

Inez who happened to be walking by at the time, overheard the remark and snorted derisively, “sure they do.”

“Inez, once you get a taste of me, I’ll ruin you for other men!” Buck hollered after her, aware of her affections for him, even if she wasn’t prepared to fall into his arms like every other woman he encountered. Buck considered this a challenge that would only make their eventual coupling all the more unforgettable when she finally succumbed to his charms.

Inez paused long enough to retaliate. “Yes, I will enter a nunnery and swear off them forever.”

With that, she turn her back on him, her red skirt flouncing like the flag of surrender on the discussion, before slipping behind the bar to return to the customers waiting to be served.

“Anyway, you were saying Buck?” Chris rolled his eyes, more interested in hearing about the stranger and his plans to buy the hotel than the continuing saga of Buck and Inez’s non-existent romance.

“Sorry,” Buck snapped back to the subject at hand. “Seems that fellow over there,” he gestured to the stranger who seemed to be studying the mug of beer he had been served, trying to decide if he was going to drink it or not. “Has been writing to the German, talking about selling the place and it looks like he’s here to make it all final.”

Ezra Standish who had been at a different table, engaged in a game of cards with some trail hands that had come in for the day, concluded his game and joined his friends, once he’d stuffed his winnings into his pockets. Taking up the empty seat next to Nathan, he glanced at Inez and gestured for her to bring him a fresh drink, which the seven had come to know, took the place of lunch in the gambler’s world.

“Hey Ezra,” Chris asked quietly, “you know anything about the hotel being sold?”

The gambler could be a veritable fountain of information when needed. Aside from fleecing money from those he’d conned into poker, Ezra had a tendency to mine his opponents for information without them being aware of it.

“No, but I did chance upon the stranger you’re so interested in, while I was at the hotel yesterday,” he declared sitting down. “I was engaged in a delightful game with some poorly skilled salesmen who were eager to part with their hard earned commissions, when the stage came in. Certain you’d be interested in any intelligence regarding the man, I decided to strike up a conversation.”

“And?” Chris asked, trying not to get impatient. At times like this, Chris wished Ezra could use his words with the same economy as Vin.

“His name is Riley Marshall and he hails from Australia. Apparently, he’s here to invest in the area. I am afraid I didn’t learn much else, other than he’s a recent widow and wished a new start from his native country.”

“Australia?” Buck looked around.  “Where is that? Near England or something?”

“A little further south,” Josiah deadpanned. “Long way to come for a new start. I thought Australia is where you went for that sort of thing.”

“Grief does strange things to a person,” Nathan commented, not looking away from his book.

It seemed like every time they looked at the healer these days, he was hunched over one of the thick books from Alex’s library. Not that any of the seven minded at all. Nathan was such an exceptional healer, it felt only right the man should transition his skills into becoming a real doctor. Everyone of them looked forward to the day they could call him Doctor Jackson. Chris knew Vin was especially proud of Alex, as he was too, that she’d paved the way for Nathan to gain his qualifications.

“Amen to that,” Buck raised his glass of beer at the remark, more sensitive to that fact than anyone else at the table, save Chris. “Anyway, Miss Cassandra, that’s the filly’s name,” he said smugly, “let me walk her around town last night and she told me the whole story.”

“Miss Cassandra?” Ezra asked, having missed this part of the tale.

“Mr Marshall’s travelling companion,” Josiah answered helpfully.

“Naturally, you reached her first,” Ezra exchanged a knowing look with the others regarding Buck’s prowess to find female company as soon as it hit town. “Go on.”

“Well apparently, Miss Cassandra and Mr Marshall are family friends from England. When he decided to come out here to buy the hotel, he invited her along because he knew she wanted to break from her family and be independent.”

“You got a sense of something wrong Chris?” Josiah asked as Inez returned to their table, carrying a plate full of mollettes.

“Thanks Inez,” Chris said gratefully, his stomach twitching happily at the sight of the food.

“You’re welcome Senor,” she flashed him a smile and a scowl at Buck in quick succession before heading off again.

“Just interested,” he answered Josiah’s question once she was gone. “Mary’s heard nothing about the hotel being sold and she usually has her ear to the ground about this stuff. Besides, if he’s buying the hotel, that means he’s sticking around for a bit.”

“It would seem that way,” Nathan lowered his book for the first time and took stock of the man. “Seems familiar though.” The healer stared at Marshall for a moment as the stranger spoke to one of the barflies at the counter. “Though how, I can’t say.”

“You’re not the only one,” Chris grumbled, even more uncomfortable now he knew Nathan shared the feeling. Somehow, it felt important he remembered why, his gut insisted on it.

“Well let us satiate your curiosity,” Ezra remarked, looking over at the man before calling out, “Mr Marshall!”

* * *

The first order of business Riley Marshall had in mind the next day after conducting some perfunctory discussions with Mr Heidegger regarding the purchase of his hotel, was to visit the saloon. After his discussion with Cassandra at breakfast this morning, he listened to the information she gleaned from Buck Wilmington about the way things functioned in the town, in particular to its constabulary and the seven men who protected Four Corners.

During his conversation with Heidegger who didn’t appear all that eager to sell his hotel, even if Riley were remotely interested in purchasing the place in such a location, he learned the story of the men the town called the Magnificent Seven. Outlaws and reprobates all of them, they had blown into town and somehow become installed as the law in the community by the local Judge. According to the German proprietor, the coming of the seven heralded the arrival of the town’s prosperity and were seen as the community’s saviours despite being little more than armed thugs.

The seven, one of which was Ezra Standish, whom Riley met the night before were known to frequent the gambler’s establishment on most days. Once Riley concluded his business with Heidegger, he decided to take a look at the place himself and the men who would give him the most opposition in his plans at Four Corners. Cassandra had her own errands to run today and once he gained the necessary intelligence from her tasks, would decide how they would proceed next.

As expected, the saloon was as rough and squalid as he imagined. Even though he’d lived in colonial Australia, the towns of the American West seemed on the verge of outright dilapidation. The saloon whose only saving grace seemed to be the lovely Mexican bartender and the cuisine she provided, did little to impress Riley. Still, he was here for a reason. Even though he struck up a conversation with one of the barflies at the counter, he was more interested in the men who guarded this town, seated at their table. The one that captured his notice most however, was the black garbed gunslinger, with the pearl handled weapon tucked in his holster.

Without being introduced, Riley knew immediately this was Chris Larabee.

Riley knew him not simply because of the descriptions of the formidable man but also because his name appeared in the short list of people who had compelled Riley’s journey to Four Corners. From the scrutiny Larabee had placed him under upon his entry into the saloon, Riley knew he would have to tread cautiously around the man. If Larabee for one moment, discerned his purpose in Four Corners, Riley’s suspected he would not be long for this world.

Fortunately, the appearance of Ezra Standish calling to him, diffused the situation and allow Riley the opening he needed to introduce himself to Larabee directly.

“Mr Standish,” Riley joined him and his companions at their table where it appeared they were partaking of the lovely barmaid’s lunch time menu. “I thought I’d take a look at your establishment myself after our meeting yesterday.”

“Do join us,” Ezra kicked out a chair, making the invitation so Chris could ask his questions directly.

“Well if I’m not imposing,” Riley lowered himself into the seat and surveyed the table carefully. Larabee was no longer staring at him but instead, returning to his meal but somehow, the new arrival still felt the scrutiny.

“These are my associates,” Ezra began introductions, moving around the table, starting first with Josiah, before moving on to Buck and Nathan.

“Mr Wilmington,” Riley spoke up. “You made the acquaintance of my friend Cassandra, last evening. I am told you escorted her during her turn around the boardwalk.”

“That’s right,” Buck replied with a little smile, glad to see he was the subject of discussion after he’d left the lady. Considering how taken Buck had been with her, this bode well for their future association. “It ain’t safe for a beautiful woman to be walking around on her own after dark. I felt it my civic duty.”

“Well Cassandra appreciated it,” Riley returned, wanting the lady to cultivate her association with this primitive. After their conversation last night, it appear Mr Wilmington was a veritable fountain of information if given the proper inducement to speak. In this case, Cassandra’s very considerable charms. “I’m sure she’d like you to call on her when she’s settled.”

“Is that right?” Buck grinned, offering his companions at the table a smug smile. “Never let it be said that I’d disappoint a lady.”

Everyone except, Riley and Chris rolled their eyes respectively. “And this is Mr Nathan Jackson, our resident healer and doctor in training.” Ezra concluded.

“Nice to meet you,” Nathan greeted politely.

“So you’re Nathan Jackson,” Riley stared at the man closely, hiding his recognition. This name as well as that of Chris Larabee was one he was familiar with. Inwardly, he stiffened at the notion, this black man, who wasn’t even a real doctor played a part in the incident that brought him to this community. “I have heard good things about you.”

It was at this point, Chris lifted his gaze and met Riley’s eyes directly. “Australia huh?”

“Yes,” Riley nodded. “On the other side of the world. It is not that much different from America actually. You have outlaws, we have bushrangers, you have cattle hands, we call them drovers. We have our version of the Territory, homesteads and stagecoaches.”

“And you plan on settling here?” Josiah asked. “Seems like a long way to travel, to settle in place that’s more or less the same as home.”

“Well America is the land of opportunity and this regions seems to be where the money is. I plan on being here for quite some time. I’ll start with the hotel and see where we go from there. I take it the prosperity of this community is due to your presence? Was I correct in Heidegger mentioning seven of you are the constables protecting the town?”

“Lawmen,” Chris corrected.

“He _hates_ being called constable,” Ezra quipped.

“And your other two lawmen? They’re not here today? I hope there is no trouble in town requiring their attention.”

“Well JD’s at the jailhouse,” Buck answered readily enough, not seeing any harm in revealing the information. “Vin is probably off somewhere with Alex.”

“No he ain’t,” Chris said giving Buck a sharp glare, warning him off revealing anything further about Vin’s present whereabouts. He wanted no one to get wind of the fact that Vin was out there right now, tracking Ambrose Wayne.

“Alex?” Riley inquired, “is that another lawman?”

“No he means Miss Alex,” Nathan laughed at the thought. “She’s his fiancee. Doctor Alexandra Styles.”

“I heard you had a female doctor in this community,” Riley remarked. “How very progressive. You know I’ve never come across one who was female in all my travels. They’re mostly relegated to assuming roles as nurses in hospitals. I never encountered one who actually had a practice.”

“That’s why the lady came here,” Josiah explained. “We got a shortage of doctors in these parts so folks aren’t liable to complain if whoever is doing the healing is a man or woman.”

 _Or black_ , Riley thought looking at Nathan briefly.

“Truer words were never said Sir,” Riley agreed and got to his feet. “Well gentlemen, I will take my leave of you. I have other errands to run today. It was good to meet you all.”

“Likewise,” Buck replied and the others around the table offered similar acknowledgement before Riley stepped away and headed through the batwing doors, to the noon day heat outside.

For a few seconds after Chris watched him go, his eyes narrowing in deep deliberation. Something about that man gnawed at him and Chris hadn’t missed the subtle nuances in his features and his eyes when something struck a chord. The question was, what did the man want?

“He knew you by name Nathan,” Ezra, who was as astute a student of behaviour as Chris Larabee, observed.

“What?” Nathan stared at the gambler. “What makes you say that? I ain’t never laid eyes on that man before.”

“Yeah but Ezra’s right,” Chris declared. “He knew you and I think he might have even known me.”

“I must concur with Mr Larabee,” Ezra said in support of Chris’s statement. “He’s here for something and I don’t think it’s the hotel.”

* * *

Julia Pemberton was pleased.  
  
It was the first time, Mary Travis and Alexandra Styles had come to her house for tea. After her rocky beginnings with both ladies in Four Corners, Julia felt inordinately pleased their relationship progressed to the point, where they were calling in on her. Much of this improvement had to do with the recent tragedies both she and Alex suffered, enabling them to rally to each other’s cause and forget the enmity that began their association.  
  
In Julia’s case, despite once having treated Alex most cruelly by announcing the end of the doctor’s romance with Ezra Standish in the worst way possible, Alex come to Julia’s aid when she was at her most vulnerable. When she found herself pregnant during the period Nicholas Serfonteine and his Klan was causing mischief in Four Corners, Julia had taken herself to Purgatorio to get an abortion.  
  
She had been so terrified by the idea of having Ezra’s child, she believed it was the only course left to her. Only when she saw those filthy instruments, in that squalid little shack, had she come to her senses. Sadly, her so called ‘doctor’ opted to perform the procedure anyway, knocking her out with chloroform to ensure her cooperation.  
  
When she returned to Four Corners, bleeding and mangled, Alex came to her aid, not only providing her with medical treatment, but keeping secret what had happened. Where it would have been easy for Alex to destroy Julia’s relationship with Ezra with the truth, the doctor instead lied, claiming Julia suffered a miscarriage. Eventually, Julia would tell Ezra the truth but for those first few weeks, when she was fragile and raw, the lie had served its purpose to smooth the way for that difficult conversation.

Julia never forgot what Alex did for her, even when Julia had given her no reason to be kind. So in the aftermath of the Klan’s abduction of Alex, where Alex had been subjected to physical and mental abuses by Francis Lamont, Julia extended the same support to the doctor. While she had been taking care of Ezra who’d suffered horrific injuries himself, Julia dropped in daily to see how Alex was doing. After seeing Alex’s state when she was found, nearly stripped naked, bruised and bleeding, Julia heard a far worse account of her ordeal from Ezra and knew what kind of scars could be left behind.

While the doctor had been uncertain of how to take Julia’s gestures of friendship at first, it was clear she needed the company. Thanks to Serfonteine’s attempt to damage Alex’s reputation because of her relationship with Vin, the tracker found it difficult to maintain a vigil at her side without creating more gossip. Thus he was grateful when Julia, Mary and Inez took turns being with Alex when he was absent. Julia was glad to see, she wasn’t the only one who was shaken at Alex’s fragile mental state after becoming accustomed to the confident, headstrong doctor.

The self-assurance that was so much of Alexandra Styles’s personality had been broken by Francis Lamont and whether or not Vin Tanner noticed, it had not been rebuilt.

“You know,” Julia remarked as they sat in her parlour, decorated in deep, rich colors of blues and dark greens. There were heavy drapes across the windows, keeping the harsh Territory sun from damaging the deep rosewood furniture and expensive Persian rug. “Where I come from, an engagement is usually followed by an engagement party.”

Alex, who was in the middle of sipping Oolong tea from a cup of fine bone china, nearly choked at the suggestion. “You must be joking.”

Mary smirked as she filled her cup from the lovely, china teapot with its lavender pattern tendrilled across the bone surface, understanding Alex’s horror at the suggestion. She tried to imagine Vin at an engagement party and could not complete the image without the sight of the man riding out of town on Peso, headed for the Mexican border. Still, observing Julia closely, Mary suspected the titian haired beauty was not serious about the suggestion.

“Why not, nothing elaborate, just you and Vin, the men, Inez, Casey, Rain and Nettie, having a picnic lunch somewhere? After all, we’ve missed the chance with Mary.”

“Please do not give Inez anymore ideas,” Mary stiffened at the idea of an engagement party piled on with the rest of Inez’s ideas for the wedding. “Chris and I have given serious thought to eloping and she’s just in the planning stages. When she first offered to plan the wedding, I imagined something simple with Mexican food. I had no idea it was going to be....

“...a royal wedding?” Alex smiled, having made the silent decision should she and Vin ever decide to plan a wedding, Inez was _not_ going to be involved.

“This problem would resolve itself if she just had sex with Buck,” Julia deadpanned and silenced everyone at the table. “What?” She stared at Mary and Alex’s shocked expressions. “You know I’m right!”

Mary, who knew Inez the longest, tried to appear outraged but even as she rallied up the arguments to claim Julia was wrong, she also knew there was a kernel of truth behind Julia’s assertion.

“Of course you are,” Mary finally confessed, “but we’re not supposed to say that outloud!” The news woman's cheeks burned with embarrassment at having to make that confession.

“If not Buck, with someone.” Alex pointed out. “As a doctor, I can tell you it’s not good to be so high strung, especially if you don’t know how to take care of it yourself.” She winked at Julia and Mary.

The three stared at each other, catching her meaning before bursting out laughing for a good minute.

When they finally settled down, Alex said seriously. “Honestly, it’s going to be a very long time before Vin and I can ever get married. I couldn’t even put his name in the engagement notice. I think its enough we are engaged so the town can go back to gossiping about Jilly Harris and what she’s supposed to be getting up to with the Baker boys.”

Both Mary and Julia caught the slight shadow over Alex’s eyes as she made that statement and knew the reason for making the engagement announcement still bothered the doctor.

“Are you alright Alex?” Mary reached for her hand and squeezed it.

While Julia did not know if her relationship with Alex had extended far enough to such a gesture, her emerald green eyes showed her empathy nonetheless. “Are you still thinking about what those Klansmen did?”

Alex stiffened and shifted her gaze away. “I hate it that the reason we had to get engaged was because of those bastards. It wasn’t enough that Lamont...” she paused, closing her eyes to force away the memories of what had taken place inside that filthy shack. She could still remember how he tasted when he’d forced his tongue down her throat, that disgusting mixture of alcohol and tobacco that still turned her stomach. Amidst his sadism was his fierce desire to have her, just like Randall Mason, who’d killed her father to possess her and would have killed Vin, if she hadn’t acted first.

“Alex, Vin loves you and you love Vin.” Mary stated firmly. “There are good people in this town who know what you two mean to each other, more than the narrow minded fools who believed the Klan’s vile words.”

Then again, Mary had stood on the street with Alex that day and saw the words ‘WHORE’ painted across her clinic walls. Not to mention the talk about the kind of half caste children she and Vin would produce. Mary was still staggered by the unbelievable cruelty of those sentiments and the fact, they had come from her own neighbours.

“I know,” Alex shrugged it off and stood up abruptly. “Julia this was lovely,” she smiled at the Emporium owner. “We should do it again. I have to go however, I have appointments.”

Before either woman could protest or bid her to stay, the doctor swept out of the room and left them behind, staring after her in concern.

“She’s not as recovered as she’d like us to think,” Julia stated the obvious.

She’d seen Alex the night of the attack and was horrified by the state of the doctor. Lamont had pursued her across the woods in the darkness and the rain, forcing Alex to take refuge in a well where she’d gotten trapped. According to Buck Wilmington, he and Vin had found Alex screaming hysterically. Yet despite that ordeal, Alex still managed to treat Ezra, as well as Lamont, citing the need to work to overcome her trauma. In the weeks that followed, even with the gossip dying down about Alex and Vin’s relationship, it was clear to her friends she wasn’t recovering even if the seven, including Vin and Nathan, being men, hadn’t seen it.

“No,” Mary agreed, disturbed by Alex’s reaction and hasty departure. It had taken Inez months to recover from what had been done to her and while Alex hadn’t been raped, she had come damn close to it. “When it happened to Inez, it took time but as terrible as what happened, the attack wasn’t personal. Victoria Kendall was trying to get at Buck and Inez was the easiest way. Also Inez is better at expressing her feelings than Alex is. Alex is too much like Vin, she likes to keep it to herself which is not always the best thing.”

“Should we tell Vin?” Julia asked, unable to imagine the tracker not wanting to know if Alex was still traumatized by what happened. Julia and Ezra had a rule about no secrets and she couldn’t imagine Alex and Vin didn’t have a similar pact.

“I don’t know,” Mary shook her head, easing back into  her seat. “This is more than just what happened with the Klan. I mean it’s Randall Mason too.”

Julia nodded, remembering Randall Mason, the Englishmsn who had come to Four Corners, not long after Julia’s arrival in town and the start of her relationship with Ezra. At that point, Vin and Alex were just begining to explore their relationship openly, even though Julia had suspicions they had feelings for each other long before that. Mason had been an old friend of Alex, who harboured a desire to marry the doctor and would not take no for an answer.

“Yes, Mr Mason was most persistent,” Julia frowned, remembering how the man had orchestrated hers and Inez’s kidnapping to distract the seven while he attempted to drag Alex away from Four Corners. “She’s had two men willing to go through extraordinary lengths to acquire her. If they weren’t so deranged, it would almost be flattering.”

“Let’s just keep an eye on her for now,” Mary replied, “and hope everything settles down for awhile.”

* * *

Alex felt foolish.

She knew she reacted badly but she couldn’t help it. All of a sudden, the memory of Lamont and Randall surfaced so violently, she’d almost gagged from the intensity of it. Stepping onto the boardwalk once she’d reached the main street of town after leaving Julia’s home, she had made the walk, taking deep breaths. As she returned to her clinic, she took note of Josiah’s church and wondered if the preacher would be there. Perhaps talking to him would help.

He wouldn’t be there, Alex realised when she glanced at the town clock and saw it was noon. At this time of the day, Josiah was probably at the saloon getting lunch, which was why Inez was absent from the tea with Julia and Mary this afternoon. Taking a deep breath, she looked at her hands and realised they were shaking. A sense of longing for Vin filled her then, wishing he were here so he could take her hands in his and ease the anxiety out of them, like he had once done so at the creek in Nettie Wells’s property. That one innocent gesture had changed _everything_.

It had barely been four weeks since the ordeal at Lamont’s hands and Alex was angry at why she wasn’t recovering faster. She was more resilient than this and hated her weakness. Her father didn’t raise her to be weak, to be susceptible to all those useless emotions women displayed when they lost control. She was a doctor.  She couldn’t be fragile. Lamont was in a prison, rotting in a cell for the next twenty years, while Randall...

Well she made sure he would trouble her no more, that was for certain.

She’d just walked past the saloon when suddenly, she heard footsteps come up alongside of her and half expected it to be one of the seven, when a voice spoke to her she did not recognise.

“Good afternoon, you must be Doctor Styles.”

Alex paused and turned to the speaker and realised she did not know this person. Aside from the fact he was dressed like a very proper English gentleman, with his blue eyes and dark gold hair, his hat was not American. She studied it for a moment, before realising she recognised the style. It was an Akubra. She’d seen it when she and her father travelled across Australia some years ago.

“I am,” she said cautiously as he tipped the hat at her. “I do not believe we’ve met.”

“I am Riley Marshall,” he introduced himself. “I’m new to Four Corners as of yesterday, to invest in the area and during my conversation with Mr Heidegger, learned this town had a beautiful lady doctor of exotic origins. I just knew I simply had to meet you.” He flashed her his most charming smile.

“Welcome to Four Corners, Mr Marshall,” Alex stared at him for a moment, trying to remember if they met before. There was something about him that seemed familiar. She shook the thought out of her head. “Am I wrong to assume you are Australian?”

“Very good Doctor,” he gave her that disarming smile again. “Most people think I’m English.”

“Well there is some English there,” Alex returned, deciding he was going to be very popular with the unattached women in town. He was very handsome, she had to confess although she found ruggedly, dusty lawman with too soft voices, were more to her taste these days.

“And a trace of Yorkshire?” She ventured a guess, as she resumed walking with Riley falling into step with her.

HIs face brightened. “I did come from Yorkshire but I’ve spent most of my time in Melbourne. You’ve been to Australia?”

“I have family in Derbyshire,” Alex answered, although she’d never actually met the relations who made William Styles an outcast without outright disowning him. “And I travelled to South Australia about seven years ago with my father.”

“South Australia?” Riley’s eyes widened in mild surprise. “That’s hardly anything there but the tribes!”

Indeed, the area in which she described had done the impossible, beaten back the white settlers and pastoralists to the point the government simply abandoned the terrain to the tribes who’d lived there for the past 20,000 years. If not for the magnificent monolith called Ayers Rock, there would be no reason to travel there at all. The area was as close to wasteland as could be imagined, with nothing to recommend it, save the landmark.

“My father wanted to see the Rock,” she explained. “So we travelled to see it on our way to the Indies.”

“Long way to travel just for that,” he remarked, starting to realise why a man might lose himself in her. She was very beautiful and there was intelligence behind those brown eyes, just as compelling. Still, as lovely as she was, he could not forget his reason for travelling to this locality and reminded himself, this meeting was part of a larger plan which had yet to come to fruition.

“My father loved to travel.  Australia was just one place in the journey,” Alex said with a sad smile, once again hating Randall Mason for taking him away from her. Four weeks ago, she wrestled with her decision to end him, telling herself revenge was never justified. However, the encounter with Francis Lamont had changed her perception of vengeance. Moments like this, when she thought of her father, who would never meet Vin or any of the children they would have together, she felt less guilty.

“He sounds like an interesting man,” Riley complimented. “He is not with you?”

Alex’s expression hardened in light of what she was just thinking of a moment ago. “He’s dead.”

“I am sorry to hear,” Riley noted the fury in her eyes and wondered what was at the heart of it. “Well I won’t keep you Doctor Styles, I just wanted to introduce myself. I plan on being in town permanently and wanted to make your acquaintance. Perhaps I could call on you sometimes.” He reached for her hand and held it to his lips before she had a chance to stop him.

In any other situation, it would have been a charming gesture but in this instance it was intrusive, mostly because her affections were already promised elsewhere. “Mr Marshall, I’m afraid that wouldn’t be appropriate. I am engaged to be married.” Alex pulled back her hand, her cheeks blooming in colour, though her dusky skin concealed it.

His expression revealed nothing less than mortification. “Please forgive me Doctor Styles, I didn’t mean to insult you. I did not see a ring on your finger and assumed you were unattached.”

“We haven’t gotten around to that yet,” Alex answered quickly, hiding her hands behind her skirt.

“If you were mine, dear lady, that would be a necessary first step.” Riley pointed out. “However, that is none of my concern. I wish you all the best and hope we can at least be friends.”

Accepting the sincerity of his apology, she supposed she couldn’t blame him for the mistake. The announcement in the paper was only a week old and he was new to town. There was no reason for him to know she was attached and Alex felt some measure of gratitude no one was talking about her relationship with Vin anymore.

“I would like that too,” Alex returned politely and was glad when her clinic came into view and she needed to cross the street. “Until next time Mr Marshall.”

“I look forward to it,” Riley tipped his hat at her as she stepped off the boardwalk, intending to cross the street, while there was a lull in the traffic. He watched her as she made her way to the two story building that served as her clinic and her home with interest. Riley noted she didn’t look back at him.

From the swing doors of the Standish Saloon, Chris Larabee watched the exchange in silence.

* * *

In actual truth, Cassandra Heglund wasn’t just a singer, she had also another more profitable skill.

Indeed, when she arrived at the town of Cimarron, a few hours after Riley Marshall met Alexandra Styles for the first time, she appeared nothing like the genteel English woman that so charmed Buck Wilmington, on the boardwalk the night before. Now she was dressed like a grand lady, ready to enjoy the delights of a night out.

While Riley was a stranger to the Territory, Cassandra was not. She was here almost a month before Riley arrived in America, needing to pave the way for his ultimate plans in Four Corners. They had known each other in England, that had not been a lie but Cassandra’s fortunes had been far different then. Bad investments and too many games at the card table by her father had dwindled her family fortune and unless she married well, was facing destitution. She’d come to America to make her own opportunities and achieved some success as a singer.

Where she was most successful, however, was a procurer.

If a service was required, an object found, a person silenced, she was the one who could connect people to see it was done. Beauty had allowed her to make connections and if she could facilitate a service between two parties, shouldn’t she profit with a small percentage? It kept her from submitting to the desires of any man to make her way in the world and placed her in the perfect position to help Riley carry out his plans in Four Corners.

Entering the establishment in Cimarron known as the Maxwell House, Cassandra was wearing a shimmering gown of taffeta, with an off the shoulder bodice and lace trims out of the neckline and double puffed sleeves. With gloves and jewellery to suit, she looked every bit the lady of importance and having ‘procured’ for Lucien Maxwell, the owner of the establishment in the past, Cassandra had earned enough reputation to be afforded every courtesy.

Having come from London, Cassandra had to admit being impressed by the size of the structure in this otherwise dreary town, surrounded by mountains on a flat plain with nothing but tumbleweeds and windstorms to recommend it. The interior of the building came with high, molded ceilings, deep piled carpets, velvet drapes, paintings in gold frames, and four pianos — two for each floor. It was a place where one could enjoy the attention of working girls, be entertained by dance halls, get drunk at the saloon and of course lose money in the gambling rooms.

It also had a parlour where business was conducted with only one rule. The Maxwell House was neutral ground. Maxwell tolerated no violence in these halls. He was perfectly content if disagreements took place, but the first person to raise a hand, blade or a gun to another would die for the incursion.

The man was called Johnny Miller, a known outlaw who had a tendency to kill with a shotgun and seldom left witnesses alive. Responsible for raiding stages, banks and the odd gambling house, he’d been operating mostly in Kansas, though he’d been moving south with his party of twenty men in recent years. On occasion, Cassandra had found he was quite the efficient hired gun, which was why they were meeting today.

“Damn Cassie,” Miller studied her as he waited in the wing chair, a working girl on his lap while he swilled the whisky in his glass. “You do look fine.”

The saloon girl he was holding in his arms, was clad only in her undergarments with a silken bed jacket draped over her shoulders. She regarded Cassandra with a bit of jealousy, taking note of the foreigner’s expensive clothes.

“Later Annabelle,” Miller pushed her gently off his lap. “I got business to conduct.”

She sniffed unhappily but obeyed, giving Cassandra another glare from her dark eyes before disappearing out of the room, no doubt to join the stable of girls in the main floor of the brothel. Cassandra waited until she was out of earshot before taking up the chair in front of Miller.

Despite his reputation, Miller was no more than thirty years old and the bleached bone Civil War jacket of leather he was wearing, belonged to his father. With blond hair cut close to the scalp and blue eyes so light they were the colour of the sky, he was a pure sociopath who was not only patient, but exceedingly vicious, as many of his victims could attest.

“Nice to see you again Johnny,” Cassandra smiled. “I take it you’ve been enjoying yourself here?”

“On your dime Cassie,” he drawled. “Easiest job I ever done, waiting around for you to get your shit together.”

“Well don’t get too comfortable,” Cassandra replied. “My client is in country and he’s ready to proceed.”

“When do you want us?” He downed his glass and raised his eyes to her.

“In three days,” Cassandra replied. “If everything goes well, we’re all going to take a ride to the ocean.”


	4. Runt and Jay

He blew into Purgatory like the sandstorm sweeping across the flat desert.

The storm chased Vin Tanner into the collection of tents and shanties calling itself a town, pelting his back with sand and grit. He could see sirocco winds moving through the dirt streets, hurling dust into the air like a mist. It allowed him to arrive without notice since no one was inclined to sit outside in such weather.  The only greeting he received from Purgatory as he nudged his horse to the nearest stable was the sway of tent flaps and the shudder of the poorly constructed shacks.

Purgatory remained unchanged, as if the accumulation of time lasted for as long as it took for the desert winds to sandblast it away. It was a place for murderers and thieves, for those who wanted to be forgotten and for misfits who craved company, but were not fit to be among the decent. It was a place to hide and though he would never admit it, not to Alex or even Chris, it was a place Vin Tanner could feel comfortable because it let him fade away into the ether.

This more than anything else, was the reason for his discomfort at being engaged.

When a man made a promise like this to a woman, no matter how much he felt for her, no matter how much it burned whenever she was not around, he could never simply vanish again. To be with her, meant being in the world and that was a state of affairs Vin had such difficulty wrapping his mind around.  When he rode with the seven, Vin could still fade into the background and remain unnoticed. This trait was his greatest value as Chris’s trusted second. The gunslinger’s overwhelming persona drew all eyes to him, ensuring no one ever saw Vin coming until it was too late.

Leaving his horse at the local livery, which was little more than a rickety barn that shook with every strong gust of wind, Vin kept the brim of his slouch hat low as he made his way to one of the larger tent saloons, to wait out Ambrose Wayne. Stepping through the flap, he was immediately assaulted by the odour of stale liquor, cheroot smoke and unwashed bodies. Crossing the dirt floor to the plain wooden counter, he passed by the collection of drinkers and working girls perched on chairs at tables and wooden barrels fashioned for the purpose, enjoying each other’s company.

He showed no signs of recognition when he saw Ambrose Wayne.

In his late forties, Ambrose wore a thick beard, a heavy beer gut, and a face bloated by too many years of hard drinking. Seeing him laughing and carousing with a saloon girl who could have been no more than seventeen, told Vin why the man was reduced to stealing horses right out of their corrals in the dead of night, like some cowardly varmint. Clearly Ambrose’s best days were behind him but Vin was not about to make any snap judgements without further assessment. When a man’s life was on the line, he could be damned resourceful and Vin wanted to claim this bounty with the minimum of fuss.

Reaching the bar, he paid his two bits for a bottle of whiskey and found a barrel at the rear wall of the tent, to sit a spell and watch the man, keeping note of just how many drinks he was imbibing at the behest of the saloon girl.  Vin spent a day catching up at Chano’s village instead of coming straight here when he’d learned Ambrose had hit town. Men with prices on their heads, tended to be most alert on their first day at a new place. Vin had wanted him to get comfortable with the idea no one was coming after him, until the tracker was good and ready to bring him in.

Besides, his own situation might gain notice if he spent too much time in Purgatory, not partaking in any of its delights. Such behaviour reeked of the law, not to mention a tracker with a price on his head, looking to make quick money to buy his gal a ring. How could he, when lovemaking with Alex was so utterly fulfilling, he could not stand the thought of touching another woman without wanting her.

“Hey honey,” a decidedly female voice greeted him and Vin looked up to find himself staring at a saloon girl with long black hair and light bronzed skin. For a moment, Vin could only stare, finding some familiarity in her smooth skin and her smile, before suddenly needing to remind himself he was now an engaged man.

“Ma’am,” he greeted politely, eyes shifting briefly past the long, satin skirt of her dress to make sure Ambrose was still where Vin had seen him.  Fortunately, the saloon girl resting on the man’s lap was working him good, ensuring he’d spend as much money on drinks before she finally took him back to her crib.  No doubt, she had some kind of deal in place with the owner to coax patrons into buying drinks for letting her into the place.

“Now you’re too pretty to be sitting all by yourself lonesome,” the woman in front of him continued speaking. “Buy me a drink and I’ll keep you company, all night if you like.”

She was very pretty and if it were not for Alex, Vin might have been tempted to accept her offer but he was here on business. Then again, having her join him might not be a bad idea.

“Tell you what,” Vin drawled easily, “I’ll buy you a drink if you just sit a spell.”

“I can do that,” she leaned forward, presenting him with a view of gloriously, formed breasts and once again, the ache for Alex became acute. “But that would be a shame.”

“Maybe,” he said clearing his throat, “but I got someone waiting at home for me and it wouldn’t feel right.”  

“Well ain’t that sweet,” she flashed him a smile, this time displaying some genuine affection as she sat down and ordered herself a drink. “My name is Tammie.”

“Nice to meet you Tammie,” Vin remarked, inviting her to sit only because he wanted to blend in.

“So what brings you to Purgatory,” Tammie asked. “It can’t be the scenery.”

“Oh just waiting on a friend,” Vin replied, providing her no more detail than that. In this town, information was as much a commodity as sex and liquor. He had no intention of allowing her to gain any of it from him. “Due any day now. What about you? Where you from?”

She was Creole, he knew that much for sure, and there was a slight twang to her accent Ezra would probably find familiar though Vin thought it might be from somewhere near Louisiana.  She seemed much too pretty for a place like this but then again, Vin suspected her passing likeness to Alex might have made him a little biased.

“I’m from all over,” she said evasively, a shadow passing over her eyes that made him feel a little sad, knowing most women who ended up in a place like Purgatory, didn’t do so by choice. He never used to give such things a lot of thought until he and the seven had run into Mr Wickes and how he treated the girls in his stable. It angered Vin women had so few choices, indenturing themselves to Wickes was the only way they could survive.

They engaged in meaningless conversation for a few more minutes, after she’d downed the drink he ordered her and then chose to move on, realising she wasn’t going to be enticing him for the night. Vin supposed he ought to take it as a compliment that she looked somewhat disappointed by this fact. However, she soon found some other patron at the saloon to lavish attention on, a cowpoke who was more than happy to be spoiled by a pretty lady.

Meanwhile, Ambrose appeared ready to conclude his drinking for the afternoon and was ready to keep company with his companion in a more secluded location. The man stood up shakily and Vin decided if Ambrose didn’t pass out drunk before he unbuttoned his pants, the tracker would be extremely surprised. No matter, the only thing that would happen in such an instance, is that Ambrose was going to wake up, finding himself robbed of every cent he had.

The two of them stumbled out of the tent and Vin drained his glass before getting up to follow them out.  Ambrose’s unsteady walk told Vin he would not be making his way across town in any hurry so Vin saw no reason to rush. Tipping his hat in Tammie’s direction, Vin stepped through the flap and nearly ran into someone making their entry.

“Runt?”

Vin’s spine straightened immediately, recognising the nickname from a time so distant in the past, he was frankly surprised he remembered it at all. Worse yet, not only did the name make him remember a period in his life he would rather forget, it also put him face to face with the person who gave him the damn thing in the first place.

“Jay?” Vin stared at Johnny Miller in utter shock.

Even though it had been almost seventeen years since he had seen the man, Vin recognised him immediately. It was in the eyes. Unlike Chris Larabee’s which Vin could read so well, it felt like they were connected in some way, the eyes he was looking at now were unreadable and blank. Yet it was their emptiness that made them stand out in his memory.

The last time, he’d seen Johnny Miller, they were barely teenagers, trapped in the same state run orphanage, somewhere in Texas. Back then, Johnny had been a little older than Vin and went by the nickname of Jay. Vin hadn’t yet experienced his growth spurt and being somewhat withdrawn and silent, made him an easy target for bullies like Johnny. Vin endured the savage beatings for a few months, mostly because by then, he was already making plans to run away and did not wish to call undue attention to himself.

Of course, the trouble with bullies was once you let them get away with beating on you, they got the idea they could do it all the time and though he was small, Vin Tanner knew how to protect himself. By then he had been in a home for a few years and learned how to take beatings as well as give them, even though he rarely made the effort. He preferred to fade into the background, so no one would see him. Vin had no idea at the time, the trait would follow him all his life.

What sparked the infamous Tanner fury that Randall Mason and Francis Lamonte knew with such painful familiarity, was Johnny’s inference he had no idea who his father was, because his mother was a whore. Vin’s mother died working the land, on a farm he barely remembered, except to know it was dry and dusty, and there was never quite enough food to feed them both. The slur against her was the one insult he would not tolerate and after the red haze of fury descended, both boys found themselves in the home’s infirmary, getting patched up together side by side. 

_“You fight good Runt,” Johnny had said to him._

_Vin did not answer, choosing instead to glare at him through a black eye._

_“Sorry for what I said about your ma,” the older boy apologised. “Didn’t have no call to say that to you.”_

_The apology surprised Vin and he took it with a slight nod, saying little._

_“My dad shot my ma,” Johnny continued speaking, his words sounding odd through a fat lip.  “Got sick of beating on her and decided to save some time with a gun. Shot her through the eye, in front of me.”_

_Vin raised his eyes in shock and this time, he managed to speak.  “Sorry.”_

_Johnny shrugged, “don’t got to be. I did the same to him.”_

“Goddamn Runt,” Johnny’s face split into a smile, “I know that face anywhere. What the hell are you doing here?”

Vin glanced over his shoulder to take stock of which direction Ambrose had gone and supposed it wouldn’t be too hard to track the man down later. Besides, if he tried to avoid Johnny, it was only going to cause more of a scene and Vin wanted to maintain his anonymity in Purgatory for as long as he could.

“Just passing through,” Vin replied, having no wish for the man to know he came from Four Corners and had ties to that community. “Waiting on a friend to finish up with a saloon girl, before we head out to the border. What about you?”

“Same thing,” Johnny replied. “Me and my men have a job in Texas. It will be a couple of days before we’re needed and this seems like the place to hold up until we’re ready to ride.”

Vin knew he was lying and the thing of it was, Johnny probably knew he was too. That was how they had survived in that orphanage together, learning to co-exist because any fight between them would only end in a stalemate. “Let me go find out where my friend wound up, so he don’t get rolled by no working girl and we can grab a drink in here.”

For some reason, Vin wanted to know why Johnny was in Purgatory because he did not for one minute believe the man was just passing through.  Just like he knew when Johnny had lied knowing nothing about how Mr Fulton at the orphanage, had broken his neck after being kicked down the stairs one night, Vin knew Johnny Miller was lying now.  

The suggestion seemed to agree with the man and Johnny broke into a grin. “I’ll be waiting, Runt.”

* * *

It did not take long to catch up with Ambrose mostly because Vin had been correct about the man’s inebriated state when he left the saloon.

Weaving through the sandstorm as if he were a leaf in the wind, Ambrose’s young companion was trying to guide him through the streets towards the Line, where most of the working girls in Purgatory resided in their collection of tents. He knew that Lydia, the working girl the seven had helped deliver from Mr Wickes, had ended up here.

Thanks to the sand and grit in the air creating dust clouds as thick as any fog, Vin was able to follow them without being seen. Once he was sure which tent Ambrose had wound up, he felt safe enough to make his meeting with Johnny, confident Ambrose wasn’t going anywhere for a few hours. Not judging by the way the liquor affected him, Vin thought. At least the girl he was with, was spared the effort of servicing him.

Vin did not expect his drink with Johnny to take long. They weren’t friends, merely fellow inmates from a prison they escaped long ago. It was merely formality to catch up with each other, to see what they looked like away from the walls and oppression of the ‘good’ Christian folk who tried to teach them humility and decency, by beating it out of them with rules and canes.  Vin put up with it for seven years, until he could bear it no more and ran away, because sure as hell, he wasn’t staying there till he was eighteen.  Had Johnny remained until he was old enough to be allowed to go? Vin didn’t think so. Even as a kid, Johnny had been biting at the bit against their carers, he doubted he would stay any longer than he had to.

Upon returning to the saloon tent, he noticed Johnny was occupying the largest table in the saloon and was surrounded by no less than half a dozen men. So Johnny had not come to Purgatory alone, Vin decided, adding weight to his belief the man was here for a specific purpose. With the nearest town to Purgatory being Four Corners, Vin was certain whatever the reason, it would most likely affect the communities falling under the purview of the seven.

The men seated around the table, created a small island around them because the other patrons saw what Vin did, that the men riding with Johnny were dangerous. Mostly white, Vin spied only one man that might have originated south of the border. White or Mexican, it mattered little because they flashed enough coin and menace around the room for Vin to know, they made their living by the gun belts they wore. The saloon girl named Tammie, who Vin had bought a drink with earlier, was sitting on Johnny’s lap, getting the attention she’d sought.

“Runt,” Johnny grinned, after Vin had gotten himself a drink and joined the man at the table. “Vamanos,” he said to the Mexican sitting in the chair next to him.  The man obeyed without question and moved to another chair further along the table, taking his shot glass with him.  The man was in his thirties, wearing a white shirt almost yellow beneath a dark vest and hide pants. His beaver black hat, was held to his back with a cord around his neck.

“I think you can call me Vin, Jay,” the tracker sat down and tipped his hat at Tammie. “Tammie.”

“Yeah, I forgot how much you like that nickname,” Johnny uttered a little laugh, not appearing offended. “Man once gave me a fat lip for calling him that. You can still call me Jay though. It ain’t as bad as Runt.”

“This one?” Tammie said incredulously, “he’s too sweet for that.”

Shit, Vin suddenly realised he inadvertently let slip he had someone waiting for him somewhere, when he refused Tammie’s advance earlier. For some reason, Vin did not like the idea of Johnny knowing anything about Alex.  Johnny’s eyes darted from the saloon girl to Vin, suspicion and perhaps a little jealousy creeping into the man’s face. The eyes revealed nothing of course, they never did, but Vin could see him bristling like a porcupine sniffing trouble.

“You know each other?”

“Just bought her a drink before you came in,” Vin explained, moving quickly to put the man’s mind at rest. Even in the orphanage, Vin remembered how possessive Johnny was about his things and how ready he was to use his fist to keep anyone from them. It appeared, little had changed since then.

“He’s not interested, he’s got a girl,” Tammie added just as hastily, possibly astute enough to make the same observation.

“You married Vin?” Johnny said apparently mollified by that explanation and immediately looked at Vin’s right hand, searching for a wedding band. “Can’t imagine that. You could barely look at girls, let alone talk to them.”

Which wasn’t saying much because in those days, he hardly spoke to anyone, Vin thought.  When he was a child, it was just him and his Ma. There had not been anyone else really and being thrust into the orphanage after her death, surrounded by so many bodies and voices, he had been terrified. Later on, when he learned how things worked in the place, staying quiet and fading into the walls was the only way to survive the ordeal.  

“I talk to this one,” Vin shrugged off Johnny’s comment, pretending to casually study Johnny’s men, when the scrutiny was anything but cursory. “She’s down south. I’ll be seeing her when I cross the border.”

“She pretty?”

Vin thought of Alex with her sheeny black hair, her golden skin, and her full lips, and felt another pang of longing for the beautiful doctor. He missed being away from her bed, missed spending his nights charting her skin, ravishing her body before collapsing in her arms, after making love ther all night.  The image of her dark hair tousled wild against the pillows, her brown eyes filled with love for him despite what he was, swelled the heart inside of him.

“Yeah,” Vin admitted with a little smile, “she’s pretty.”

Johnny looked at him thoughtfully and Vin wondered if the man saw through that simple statement to know just how much feeling there was in it. “Good for you Run...I mean Vin.”

“Gonna introduce me to your men, Jay?” Vin regarded the men at the table with them, who were sizing him up just as sharply as Vin was doing to them.  They were all the same age as Johnny, Vin noticed and wondered how far their association went back. Did some of his men follow Johnny from the orphanage or had he picked them up on his way through the years.

The one closest to Johnny was a head taller than him, sporting dark hair, and hard green eyes, softened by the play he was exchanging with a passing saloon girl. Beneath the heavy brown coat over his broad shoulders, was a dark burgundy shirt and a black waistcoat. Slapping the girl on the rump as she walked by, he turned back to Vin at the mention of introductions.

“Zeke,” the man nodded at Vin who tipped the brim of his hat in salutation.

“Vin Tanner.”  

“You already know Campos,” Johnny regarded the Mexican who had given up his seat earlier. That’s Tucker, Slick, Rebbi, and Del.” He gestured to the colourful assortment who seemed a cut above the hired guns Vin usually encountered in Purgatory in the past.

“Good to meet you all,” Vin offered politely receiving acknowledgement in a series of grunts, noncommittal greetings and slight nods. Turning back to Johnny, who was running his hands all over Tammie, taking liberties with her that promised a more heated coupling later, Vin waited for the man to make eye contact before speaking.

“Been a long time Jay, how you been getting along?”

“Can’t complain,” Johnny replied.  “Got the hell out of the home as soon as I can. Took your lead. Figured if a little fella like you could cut and run, didn’t see why I ought to stick around either. One day I just walked through that bitch Pritchard and didn’t look back.”  He turned to Tammie again and began kissing her neck.

Pritchard. Vin stiffened remembering the hard faced woman, who was one of the administrators of the orphanage. She was a mean spinster reaching her middle age without an ounce of sympathy or kindness for her charges. To her, they were the discarded remains of the poor she was forced to civilise before releasing them into the world.  It was Edna Pritchard who operated the Orphan Train, an operation where she had gotten fat off the money she took from anyone who needed a child to work.  She sent them to parts unknown, to be worked to death on a farm or worse.

Vin had taken advantage of the Orphan Train when it was his turn. He had no intention of going where the woman sent him and took the first opportunity to escape. He jumped the train on route, damn near killing himself in the process. For days he wandered, injured and thirsty until the Comanche found him. Why they didn’t kill him outright, Vin never knew but they took him in and taught him how to survive.

“I’ve been mostly in Kansas,” Johnny’s words brought Vin back to the present. “What about you? Pritchard was plenty mad when word came back you jumped the train. We all figured you were dead.”

“Nah,” Vin shrugged. “Just didn’t have the mind to be no farmer. I jumped off as soon as I could and got lost in the Territory. Spent some time with the Indians, took up buffalo hunting for a spell but these days I make my money where I can. Hiring out my gun mostly.”

It was a better explanation than lawman, and bounty hunter would only deepen any suspicions of him, especially if anyone of them had a price on their heads.

“Really?” Johnny tore his lips from where they had been on Tammie’s cleavage and studied Vin once more, as if the admission made him need to size Vin up against a different yardstick. After a few seconds, he spoke. “We’re going to be here for another two days, if you’re done paying a call on your gal down south and feel like earning some good money, come back this way. I got a job where I could use another man.”

Vin was tempted to ask him the nature of the work in question but resisted it, mostly because he suspected Johnny wouldn’t appreciate the interrogation. Besides, the man was too smart to give out specifics until he received a firm commitment from Vin.

“I could be convinced to come back this way,” Vin said, pretending to consider the offer. “I can finish up over the border if there’s work.” He spoke with such unflappable indifference to the question, Ezra would have been proud. Johnny was a calculating son of a bitch who missed nothing, even as a child.  Vin had no doubt that if Johnny even suspected what he was really about, he wouldn’t leave this tent alive.  “Reckon you can wait?”

“We can wait,” Johnny confirmed now it appeared Vin might actually join him. “If you want in, best be back by tomorrow, sundown.”

“I’ll be here,” Vin agreed, content to do just that because this was a lot of men for a job and Vin wanted to know what it was Johnny had planned in the area to require it. He had a sixth sense about trouble and while it was nowhere as sharp as Chris’s, it was there nonetheless. Right now, it was telling him this reunion was going to cause nothing but harm.

* * *

Leaving the tent saloon a short time later, Vin stepped out into the dust storm once more, headed towards the livery to get his horse. An exchange of fresh cheroots with the owner, allowed Vin to take Ambrose’s mount too. The man saw no trouble in Vin taking the animal after being told Ambrose had fallen down drunk in the street and had to be taken home to his family, before his wife caught on he was seeing a whore in town.

Once he had the animal, he led both horses to the Line where the working girls of Purgatory resided, trying to let the unease of seeing Johnny ‘Jay’ Miller once again, subside in his gut.  He tried not to think of his past, save a few morsels of memory which he clung to because of the warmth surrounding them. Seeing Johnny only resurfaced the uglier ones and he hated it.

His ma had died of putrid fever when he was five. He didn’t even remember where the farm they lived on was situated. He assumed Texas, because the orphanage he was sent to was in that state. Vin remained there for almost seven years, enduring the cruelties of the folk running the place who were determined to beat decency into their charges with the Bible and the switch.  The first time he tasted freedom, away from the walls of that terrible place and fell asleep with the open sky above him, Vin knew he would never again be comfortable under a ceiling.

The Nokoni Wanderers, part of the Comanche, who found him in the wilderness, starving and frightened, had taken him in. Unlike the white children they encountered previously, Vin had humility because he knew his place in the world. It was somewhere beneath horse manure and under someone’s boot. They liked his ability to listen quietly and obey without question. Their war chief Peta, decided he could be salvaged and raised him to be a warrior, even though the man knew Vin would probably return to the white man one day.  

Vin hadn’t cared because as hard as the Nokoni were on him, he was in a position to earn their respect by learning their ways. Seven years in an orphanage taught him he would only ever be a dead woman’s discard, nothing more. With the Nokoni, he became a warrior and he learned how to survive needing no one’s help ever again. Eventually he would leave and wherever he went, he always found himself most comfortable among the Indians, spending time with the Apache until his heart, what else (?), got him into trouble and he had to leave them for good.

Reaching the hill, Vin looked down at the row of tents and one barn sized house that made up the Line, where the working girls of Purgatory resided. Ambrose’s companion wasn’t from the house, because the ladies there did not have to go searching for customers. Every man knew where they were. He knew which tent Ambrose wound up in and if the man was still in his drunken state, then Vin was just going to haul his ass out of there and put him on his horse.

Leaving the horses outside the tent, located at the far end of the Line, Vin approached cautiously, not about to let his guard down. Drawing his Winchester, he used the barrel of the weapon to part the flap and stepped inside. What he saw when he entered, did not surprise him in the least.

Ambrose’s snore filled the small space behind the canvas as he lay against the mattress on the wooden bed. His pants were half way down his knees, exposing his long johns and shirt half-unbuttoned. His rounded belly protruded prominently under the faint light bleeding through the part in the flap.  There was a dressing table and an open trunk revealing the spoils of feminine clothing. He scented lavender and noted the bits and pieces a young girl might find precious.

“Who the hell are you?” The girl looked even younger close up and was leaning over Ambrose, unashamed of her bare chest as he walked in. Vin averted his gaze from her, trying not to be embarrassed, even though it was clear she was going through Ambrose's pockets.

“Nobody,” Vin said shortly. “I’m just here for him. You can keep whatever you find on him but I’m bringing him in.”

“Bringing him in?” The girl’s blue eyes widened, moving away from Ambrose, clutching a sheaf of notes. “What did he do?”

Vin allowed himself a little smile, aware he would go to hell for this but didn’t want to waste time with lengthy explanations.

“Well he’s been killing saloon girls ma’am. I’ve been keeping an eye on you to make sure you weren’t next but he has left bodies all the way from Kansas to Amarillo. Slices them up and then pulls out their insides. Real sick shit.”

The girl paled. “Jesus.”

“Yeah you’re real lucky, he got confident this time with the drinking,” Vin added as she retreated off the mattress and stood by the dressing table, not about to intervene as he headed towards the wooden bed frame.

“Thank you Mister,” she said quickly, the fear for her life making her cover her breasts as Vin pulled up Ambrose’s pants and dragged him off the bed.

“You’re welcome ma’am,” Vin replied, hiding his smile as he removed Ambrose from her presence.

* * *

**A/N: NC17 scene coming up...**

 

He returned to Four Corners well after dark.

Ambrose woke up briefly during the trip to holler a litany of curses, partially at being trussed up like a calf over his saddle and also because he had a raging hangover. Vin reminded himself the next time he went on one of these jobs, to ask Alex to let him have a few of those magic pills she sometimes gave him when he was hungover for such an occasion. In the end, it was simpler to coldcock the man for the rest of the trip home.

Upon arriving in Four Corners, Vin found the sandstorm scouring Purgatory, had reached the town, and as he rode through the streets, felt the gale rushing over the sound of wind chimes, causing window shutters to shudder and bang against wooden walls.  Heading to the jailhouse, Vin left Ambrose in one of the cells, confident the man would sleep it off til morning. Tomorrow, Chris could take him to Bitter Creek and collect the bounty as agreed upon.

Once he left Peso and the horse carrying Ambrose, which did not belong to him either, at the livery, he made his way to Alex’s clinic discreetly. Fortunately, the dust storm had made it easier to climb up the backstairs and knew at this hour, she would likely be in bed. Vin let himself into the darkened kitchen, using the key she’d given him for the lock on the door. After the business with Randall Mason, Alex was never allowing anyone to just sneak into her house again.

Entering the bedroom, after he washed in the bathroom on the other side of the house, Vin was grateful to get the dirt and sand off his skin. Thanks to her inheritance, Alex ensured the building had plumbing, not just for the convenience of it, but also it was necessary for her doctoring. With all the instruments she insisted on keeping clean by boiling, it was vital. Wearing only his pants and his gun belt draped over his shoulder, Vin saw Alex fast asleep between the covers, wearing one of his shirts.

With her black hair framed over the pillow like a cascade of jet, she looked so damn beautiful, he could do nothing but stare at her for a few seconds.  He liked her wearing his shirt and the idea her scent would be soaked into the fabric made him smile. Draping the gun belt on the bedpost nearest to his side of the bed, he slipped into the covers next to her.

A surge of desire filled him and he let his hand slide under the covers, moving gently over her body before slipping beneath the hem of his shirt to the thatch of dark hair between her gloriously supple thighs.  Vin knew he ought to let her sleep but he couldn’t help it. After months of sharing her bed, the passion for her had not waned. If anything, it had intensified.  By sharing intimacies with him, Alex gave him her utmost trust to not to break her heart and Vin loved her even more for it.  

Gently caressing her thigh on his journey down, she reacted with a soft murmur of pleasure, still unaware of his presence.  He felt his heart quicken in pace with the hardening of his manhood when his fingers found their way to the velvet softness between her legs. Beginning with the gentle manipulations of her folds, he knew from experience what would make her quiver, and was rewarded with a wanton sigh that sent a jolt of lust through him from his fingertips to his cock.

“Oh God...” Alex whimpered and that sound was so arousing, it made Vin even harder. He watched her mouth parted, watched her pink tongue swirling over those full lips, before her eyes fluttered open and she realised he was there.  Love filled her eyes so completely for him, it made the chest in his heart ache from the sheer joy of it.

“Vin,” she smiled, “when did you get back?”

“Just a while ago,” he said drinking her in, his fingers still exploring her moist flesh.

“I missed you,” She sighed, a comment that sounded so completely obvious considering what he was doing to her.  God, how did he know where to touch her so intimately, she felt like she might die if he stopped?

“Me too,” he smiled wolfishly and disappeared beneath the covers. Spreading her legs apart, Vin took in the scent of her sex, now sufficiently damp from what he’d been doing to her, before planting a gentle kiss on the inside of her thigh. Alex pulled away the covers, wanting to see him. He raised his eyes to herd and gave her a playful wink, before he parted her folds, exposing her clit to the air. Marvelling at how rosy and pink the flesh was once he got past the dusky skin, Vin gave her no quarter before lowering his head to take a long, hard lick with the broadside of his tongue.

“Oh God, cowboy...!” She uttered a moan of complete surrender, her back arching over the mattress, her fingers clutching the pillows from the sheer pleasure of it.  

He loved how she cried for him whenever he did this to her. Pleasuring her had been one of the highlights of their lovemaking because he never had a relationship where he could just spend hours learning all the things he could do to please his lover.  Before Alex, he had been a novice, with only quick encounters with working girls that felt more like servicing than love making.  Even his passions with Charlotte on the prairie had been a quick affair laced with guilt and worry of being out in the open, where danger could sneak up on them.

As always with Alex, it had been different. Their nights together were an odyssey of exploration and delight.  How many nights had they spent learning how to pleasure one another? The sweetness of all of it was they were both approaching it from the same place, even if Vin had a little more experience than her.

Vin felt Alex’s legs caressing his back as she continued to chant his name, half out of her mind, unable to do anything but be swept away on this wave of exquisite sensation. He continued his sensuous greeting by relentlessly sucking and teasing her moist flesh. The tracker was brutal in his delivery, his fingers ensuring Alex’s folds remained exposed so he could suckle on the flesh like she was the tastiest thing in the world.  

Alex continued to moan loudly, her body squirming, almost trying to escape him because the sensation was too much but Vin was not about to let her go.  He wanted her surrender as he held onto her thighs, his mouth on her sex, refusing to let her clit have any respite from his assault. When he felt the walls of her inner passage began to contract around his tongue, he knew she was there.

“OH VIN!!!”   

Her juices flooded his mouth and he lapped her up with just as much insistence, refusing to yield until he drained every ounce of honey from her sweet, sweet flesh.  The taste of her, the sound of her heavy breathing, the rise and fall of her chest beneath his shirt, filled him with such an intensity to possess her, Vin moved up her body quickly, his chin still moist with her damp. She looked at him through heavy lids, smiling dreamily as he pulled his shirt off her body, not caring if the buttons went flying across the floor because he needed to feel her soft breasts against his chest.

Christ, he needed to be inside of her. He was so hard and ready, he could barely stand to wait another second as he remained poised between her legs. Hooking a leg over his hip, he rammed his cock deep into her throbbing folds, as far as it would go. Her back arched on the bed as she cried out but Vin was there to capture her lips, savouring the moan as it escaped into his mouth.

Vin drove himself all the way in and saw Alex’s eyes roll back in ecstasy as her nails dug into his back. He uttered a satiated groan and thought how being inside her always felt like he was coming home after being lost for so long. Plying her lips with deep, bruising kisses, he marvelled at how good she tasted. How had he lived this long being unable to do this to her every night?  Driving himself into her repeatedly, she buried her head in his neck, whispering soft words into his skin.

“I love you,” she said softly.

Vin blinked and looked at her.  For a moment, the lust for each other receded, replaced instead by the love they felt so deeply for one another. He kissed her mouth tenderly, forgetting the maelstrom of desire gripping them.

“I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you Doc. Wished I was brave enough to say it first.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m yours. Now and forever,” she said kissing him back.

He resumed his strokes, slow and languid at first before quickly picking up momentum, until Alex could feel him pounding into her. The tip of him produced a surge of pleasure each time he impacted against the hard barrier of flesh, allowing him to go no further. He filled her so beautifully, her insides turned into warm honey with each stroke.  Once again, he was bringing her to orgasm and Alex loved him so much for it.

The pleasure of it, Vin thought half mad with desire. Vin was starting to come undone when he felt her legs tightened around his waist, her hips moving to the rhythm he set for both of them. Inside her, Vin could feel Alex’s muscles contracting around his cock, increasing the tension until he was mindless with it. The more Vin pumped into Alex’s slick passage, the more she delivered heaven to him with her deliciously clenching sex.

Vin showered kisses along Alex’s neck, whispering all kinds of worship against her skin. His were soft words that were an affirmation of his love, his adulation of the liberties she allowed him to take with her body. She was feverishly kissing his mouth, his cheeks, and neck. The words escaping her mouth were a gibberish.

“Gonna do this to you forever,” he muttered through his kisses.

“Please...Vin...yes...” She was still sobbing his name when her release swept over her and the crushing contraction of her inner muscles damn near killed him. Vin was enveloped by pressure so tight, it felt as if he was driving his cock through a solid, wall of slick, wet flesh. The taut grip against his shaft increased a thousandfold as the sharp ache of pleasure travelled up his cock and drove all coherent thought from his mind. He exploded inside of her, with a single powerful thrust, unleashing a loud, broken grunt of surrender from his lips as he filled her with warm seed.

“Jesus!” He hissed, feeling her breasts pressing into his chest and her panting in the crook of his shoulder, sobbing her satisfaction into his wet skin. Vin caught her mouth, still gasping in pleasure, forcing his tongue down her throat, stroking and caressing it, so they would come down together.

They collapsed against each other, a tangled mess of limbs and sweat. The scent of sex was heavy in the air as they lay against the sheets for a few seconds, coming down from the heights they ascended together, like falling stars returning to the Earth.

“I guessed you missed me huh?” Vin smiled, very pleased with himself as he rolled onto his back, allowing Alex to snuggle up to him.

Equally sated, Alex allowed him his moment, closing her eyes to savour the smell of him as she planted a soft kiss against his bare chest while her fingers traced circles on his damp skin.  “Just a little. Did you miss me?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Dunno why though, seeing how you’re such a mean ol’ spinster woman.”  He met her gaze with a playful wink.

“I know, I know,” she laughed softly, “I must be lucky that a sweet talking lawman like you took pity and decided to marry me.”

Was it only months ago, he asked her to that dance?

So much had changed since that night when she realised she loved him even though she was edging towards the conclusion well before that.  Alex had never believed she could love anyone that much again, not since her father died. The void William Styles left behind inside her was a chasm so wide, Alex never imagined it could be filled again. When she first came to Four Corners and Ezra Standish meant something to her, not even her affection for the gambler could take away that emptiness.

Until Vin Tanner held her hands in his and looked into her eyes, at that creek next to Nettie’s homestead, and banished the emptiness away for good.

“Hey Vin,” she said, lying against him. “Why don’t we just get on Peso and ride away for a while. Go somewhere you’ve always wanted.”

Vin blinked and looked down at her.  “You mean leave Four Corners?”

“Not leave,” Alex said meeting his cobalt coloured eyes. “I mean just go exploring, go someplace we’ve never been for a few weeks. Leave everything behind.”

The idea was tantalising of course and before Alex came into his life, he toyed with the idea numerous times and in the end, settled for a few days out of town every now and then, just to get in touch with the land. Chris understood his need for solitude after a life lived out in the wilderness for so long. Town living was hard on a man if one wasn’t used to it and Chris knew Vin found the enclosure of walls and too many bodies difficult to take after a spell.

“What about your patients?” Vin asked and for the first time, saw something in her eyes he had not seen before or maybe, just hadn’t noticed.  

Now that he was looking, he recognised when he had seen it last and the realisation worried him. It was the night he pulled her out of that well when Francis Lamonte, now languishing in Kansas State Prison, tried to rape her.  As always, Alex used her work to aid her recovery but he remembered how she had been in the days after. Plagued by bad dreams, where she would wake up weeping, the ordeal of climbing down that well, having been so frightened to be driven into it in the first place, left its mark upon her.

And still did, it appeared.

“Nathan can handle it,” she shrugged. “Four Corners did well enough before I was here, I’m sure it can stand a few weeks without me. Let’s just get on Peso and ride, leave everything behind, sleep under the stars and just forget the world exists.”

“Sure Doc, anything you want.” Vin said, kissing her hair, hiding his concern for the moment because he wasn’t sure what to do about this.  She loved being a doctor and hearing her speak of walking away from it, even for a little, was unlike her. Not for the first time, since the night he found her in that well, Vin Tanner wished he killed Lamonte.

Now he was worried something was broken inside of her and he had no idea how to fix it.


	5. Jealousy

As was his habit during his nights with Alex, Vin slipped out of her bed a short time before dawn and retreated to the broken-down wagon he called home, left in the alley behind the jailhouse and Watson’s Hardware.  Vin moved the wagon here a few nights after he started sharing Alex’s bed, because it was secluded and he could come and go as he needed to, without being seen by the decent Christian folk of Four Corners who might have objections to his supposedly innocent affair with the lady doctor.

Vin had never thought it could be so hard to tear himself away from her every night and return to the cold, thin mattress awaiting him in the wagon, but it was. Not after spending so many years living rough in the wilderness. It wasn’t just their intimacies he enjoyed so much when he shared her bed, he also loved falling asleep in her arms, feeling her warmth as they spooned together and drifted to sleep. Sometimes, they just lay in each other’s embrace, talking into the small hours of the night about their hopes and dreams for the future.

Until last night, Vin realised they had not done this since the whole business with Francis Lamont.

Oh, they spooned and they slept, but she didn’t want to talk. It annoyed Vin to no end he hadn’t noticed. After all, he wasn’t the most vocal of men but their talks were cherished. During those twilight exchanges, she showed him her vulnerabilities and told him secret things he would never have imagined about her.  It was during these instances, he learned of her fear of small, enclosed places, how she would like to have children, but was afraid she wouldn’t be any good at it. Vin in turn revealed pieces of his life he told no one, about how he hated not knowing where his Ma was buried or who his pa might have been. No one had ever called him a bastard but Vin confessed to wondering if he was.

Until last night, he also realised they never really spoke about what exactly happened to her in that shack with Francis Lamont, that night. Vin knew for certain she was not violated. The evidence of her trauma after that night had more to do with being forced to hide in that well than anything the son of a bitch had done to her.  Furthermore, Ezra had gotten there in time to stop Lamont from satisfying his lustful intentions on Alex, but now Vin thought about it, he had to wonder just how far Lamont had gotten. Had that bastard left more of a mark on her than she was telling him, and if so why wouldn’t she?

Was it possible she thought he might blame her for it? Vin couldn’t imagine Alex believing such a ludicrous thing but as he lay against the mattress, staring at the canvas above him, he had to concede the possibility.  It was inconceivable to him she might believe that of him, not when he remembered the state he found her in that night. Just remembering her dishevelled state, covered in bruises, mud and scratches from where her flight through the woods with Lamont in pursuit, filled Vin with a renewed sense of rage and made him wish again, he killed the bastard.

Could she have been desperate enough to climb down a dark well, to escape Lamont because the man had already done something so awful to her, she would endure facing her worst nightmare than have him touch her again? His gut clenched in outrage and felt it burn as intensely as the night when Vin finally caught up with them. He had been plenty mad that night, enough so Lamont wasn’t all that pretty once Vin was done with him.

Now she was suggesting leaving Four Corners, for weeks and the way she had spoken, made him believe, she wouldn’t mind if it was even longer.  The irony it was he who was having difficulty with the suggestion was not lost on him. Vin knew Alex was accustomed to travelling with her father across the world and living like a nomad. Sometimes, he had the sense part of the reason she loved him was because he possessed the same wandering spirit like the man who raised her.  While Vin didn’t mind the idea at all, of just getting on Peso and riding out for a spell, he knew it was unlike her to suggest such a course.

Like him, Alex had searched for a place to belong, and they’d found it in Four Corners, just as they found each other.  The idea of her wanting to leave the town and all their friends, when she seemed so happy here made Vin want to know what had changed and somehow, he just knew asking her wouldn’t get him an answer.  Alex was almost as fiercely private as he was and the desire to leave, he was certain was not to escape the town but a desire to escape herself.

Vin knew better than anyone, hiding from oneself did no good but he had no idea how to help her.

* * *

If there was one thing Riley Marshall learned, whether one was in England or in distant Australia and it was certainly true in America, if you want to learn about a woman in a small town, the fastest way to do that was to talk to another woman.

Or in this case, the women of Four Corners. Of course, he avoided the women he knew to be friends of Doctor Styles, such as Mary Travis, Julia Pemberton and Inez Recillos. Fortunately, being the handsome stranger in town with the unusual accent allowed Riley to strike up conversations with the rest of the local women, which gave him the valuable intelligence he needed for his quest in Four Corners. Thus, he spent his first few days in town, learning the lay of the land, the dynamics of the community and Doctor Alexandra Styles’s role in it.

She arrived little more than six months ago from England to establish a medical practice in town. Due to the location and the violence of the Territory, the community had been without a qualified doctor for some time, forcing residents to travel to other towns such as Bitter Creek and Sweetwater for medical attention. While there was a healer in the community, even Nathan Jackson was smart enough to know what was beyond him and referred those he couldn’t help elsewhere. Thus, by the time Alexandra did appear in town, they paid little attention to the fact the doctor was female or a half breed of Indian and English extraction.

From the gaggle of gossipy women, he spoke to, Riley learned about the doctor’s relationship with the seven men who protected Four Corners, beyond his conversation with Ezra Standish and their meeting in the Standish Tavern.  Shortly after her arrival in town, she and the owner of the Standish Tavern had struck up a courtship. They conducted in a most proper, Christian way until the relationship was broken off very publicly, according to Sheila Hausmann, when Standish took up with emporium owner Julia Pemberton.

However, the doctor was not wanting for suitors since not more than two months later, she arrived at a dance celebrating the town’s founding, on the arm of Vin Tanner, Chris Larabee’s trusted second.

Their romance was reputed to be extremely passionate, with the doctor and tracker having been seen on numerous occasions riding out of town together, on one horse, which naturally set tongues wagging. Others claimed Tanner spent his nights with the lady, in her home above her clinic. While no one actually seen this happen, it still added to the suspicion of the less than proper relationship between the two.  This was to be expected of course, the pairing was an odd one. After all, Doctor Styles was a London trained physician and Vin Tanner was a former buffalo hunter who spent most of his time in the company of Indians and gunmen.

Riley listened with interest to their blather, not just from Sheila Hausman and her ilk, but also from the barflies who lingered at the bar counters of the town’s numerous watering holes, who were more than willing to talk once Riley bought them a drink or two.  From them he learned that on the night Tanner and Alexandra had first appeared as a couple, there had been some trouble at the dance they attended together. A stranger who arrived in town a few days earlier, had come to ask for the doctor’s hand and was rejected. He attacked the doctor in full view of everyone before Tanner put a stop to it. This didn’t stop him from putting a bullet into her back the very next day.

Unfortunately, justice was never served because the stranger, Randall Mason, died in the jailhouse before he reached a court of law.

“I think we can proceed tomorrow night,” Riley announced to Cassandra as he sat across the lady in the hotel restaurant, enjoying a moderately decent breakfast. “I have all the intelligence I need.”

Cassandra having returned from her travels in Cimarron, was once again the picture of genteel propriety, dressed in the garb of the very elegant chanteuse she intended to be, if the imaginary attempt to buy the hotel ever materialised.  Around them, the chatter of hotel patrons was loud enough to ensure their conversation was muted from the hearing, since everyone was more interested in their own business to pay attention to the newcomers.

“I am glad to hear that,” Cassandra said with a smile, “because Mr Miller is becoming most impatient. His kind do not do well lingering about for long and sooner or later, will seek out some other occupation to entertain themselves, which will only call attention to his presence. Fortunately, I did not give him any specifics as to what we require of him, beyond our needs for his services as a hired gun. But tell me,” she leaned forward in interest. “What have you found?”

“Quite a bit,” Riley sighed. “Unfortunately, subtlety was not Randall’s strong suit but then my brother was always used to getting his own way.  He was very public about his dealings with the lady and most of the town remember it. It appears, he did ask for her hand but was refused.”

“Oh dear,” Cassandra frowned, familiar enough with Randall back in England to know just how poorly he would have received that rejection. “I take it he did not react well.”

“Not in the least,” Riley recalled what the drunk had told him about Randall shooting Alexandra in the back. “She is involved with one of the lawmen in town, Tanner, who is a notch above savage. The man is a buffalo hunter and wears skins. My brother would have found this an affront to his pride.”

“I must confess, I can understand his confusion. I would imagine an educated woman would have selected a little better,” Cassandra shook her head unable to fathom it. “Although she is half caste so that might make her choices for a suitor, limited.”

“I doubt it,” Riley shrugged, having met the doctor face to face. “She is very beautiful. I can see why Randall was taken with her. Of course, I would have simply bedded the girl, not try to marry her. One must be sensible.”

“Randall did tend to become obsessed,” Cassandra shrugged, having known the man in her youth and recalled his fixation on the objects of his affection. Of course, no one had suspected it would ever lead him to such an unfortunate end.

Riley had little feeling for his older brother Randall and was here in Four Corners, primarily for their mother Emilia, whose fury at his death, demanded action.  Riley had not lied when he claimed he had come from Australia. As the youngest son of the family, his inheritance had been slight and he used it to  make his fortune in Australia. Thus, he was far removed from his brother’s obsession with Alexandra Styles and only learnt of it when he travelled to England.

Upon arriving home, Riley learned from Emilia that Randall had spent almost a decade being enamoured by the half breed daughter of William Styles, a medical doctor who brought his family into scandal by marrying a heathen from India.  So deep was Randall’s infatuation with the girl, he was seen in public with the young woman during the period she was in London, studying to attain her medical degree.  While it could not be denied she was a beauty, her parentage made any prospect of marriage impossible but Randall was determined to have her.

Their mother tolerated it because Randall was the oldest son and her favourite. When Randall declared he was ready to marry the girl and travelled to Egypt to ask for her hand, nothing said could convince him otherwise. However, as it turned out, Alexandra Styles vanished after the death of her father, without giving Randall so much as a word as to where she was going. Emilia had hoped this would be an end to it.  Unfortunately, Randall was not to be deterred and spent considerable expense finding her, who by this time fled to the Americas.

Naturally Randall had pursued her there but returned not with a bride, but in a coffin.

Emilia had been inconsolable and refused to believe Randall succumbed to a heart attack. Even though he had sustained an injury to his foot from a gunshot, a result of his attempted murder of Alexandra Styles, there was no other violence done to his body. Despite being a man in his late forties, Randall was in good health. Finding it too improbable he simply died of a heart attack, Emilia consulted the Royal College of Surgeons and commissioned an autopsy to be conducted.

Randall had not died of a heart attack but respiratory failure. While there were no longer any traces of poison in the body, it was speculated curare could precipitate such a condition.

Scotland Yard deemed the death suspicious but further action was impossible because curare broke down fast in the body and it was not a poison, it was a muscle relaxant capable of causing respiratory failure. While a needle mark on Randall’s dead hand could be how it was administered, there was no telling if the mark was not delivered during the embalming process.

Besides, they were reluctant to proceed when the suspect, if there was a suspect, was not even in England to prosecute.  Emilia refused to allow that minor detail to keep her from vengeance. Randall’s murderer needed to pay for their crime and Riley had sworn to his mother to see it done.

“Tell Mr Miller, we will need a significant distraction to ensure all the town’s constables are occupied.  You and I will be able to take the woman ourselves.  Before they know she’s missing, we’ll be on route to Galveston. The ship is waiting at the port.”

“My experience in these matters tell me it is probably best we have escorts,” Cassandra remarked. “Even with the bounty on his head, Tanner might risk the crossing into Texas if he learns what we are about.”

“Fine, ask Mr Miller to join us,” Riley replied. “I want this affair to be concluded as quickly as possible. Once we get her to England, I’ll allow my mother to deal with Doctor Styles herself. I want to be done with this business. “

* * *

After he woke the next morning and took care of his ablutions as Ezra liked to put it, Vin left his wagon and headed towards the saloon. As was the habit of the seven since Inez took over management of the Standish Saloon and began providing meals, the group usually shared breakfast together as well as discuss any business that needed tending to as the town’s lawmen. Vin had to admit, the thought of Inez’s cooking made his stomach rumble as there hadn’t been much eating the night before, when he was at Alex’s.

 _Well not the kind that filled your stomach_ , he thought with a satisfied smirk.

In any case, he needed to catch up with Chris and let him know Ambrose Wayne was in the jailhouse, waiting delivery to Bitter Creek so Chris could collect the bounty on his behalf, not to mention bringing up the subject of his encounter with Johnny Miller in Purgatory. Once again, his instincts regarding Jay screamed danger and a job requiring twenty men was nothing to ignore.

Guy Royal and Stuart James had been quiet for a while now, but neither Vin nor the rest of the seven believed for one moment, the two men had abandoned their desire to turn Four Corners into a ghost town. The ranchers had more than enough money to finance trouble with that many hired guns.  Even if it wasn't Royal or James, Vin wanted to know the specifics of this job and when he learned of it, so would Chris.

Stepping through the swing doors of the saloon, the pleasant aroma of Inez’s cooking wafted through the place and judging by the chatter, her cooking brought a decent crowd to the place.  While no one would say it to Ezra, the success of the place had to do with Inez’s management. Not merely by her cooking but also by the fact, no man complained when being served liquor or food by such a beautiful woman.

“Hey Vin!” JD greeted from their table in the centre of the room the instant the young man caught sight of him.  Except for Ezra who was incapable of rising early because he was usually at the gambling tables until the small hours of the night and Nathan who was probably doctoring somewhere, the rest of the seven were at the table enjoying the morning meal.  Meanwhile Inez fluttered about the room like a hummingbird, moving from table to table ensuring her customers were happy.  Even Chris had ridden into town this morning, which meant there was probably some business needing the seven’s attention.

JD’s greeting followed a more sedate chorus of others, including a slight nod in Vin’s direction from Chris as the tracker sat at the table before Vin made eye contact with Inez.

“Breakfast Vin?” Inez hollered from the bar as she saw him.” I have some chilaquiles warming.”

“Yes ma’am,” he smiled in her direction, tipping his hat in thanks before she flashed him that smile that felt like warm sunshine, before disappearing into the kitchen, her hair bouncing against her shoulders.

“You get done what you needed to?” Chris asked, referring discreetly to his hunt and capture of Ambrose Wayne in Purgatory.  Ambrose was pretty low hanging fruit and Chris expected Vin to bring the man in with ease.

“He’s sleeping it off in the jailhouse.” Vin said with a nod, unknowingly confirming Chris’s confidence in him.

“Well it’s a good thing you’re back,” Chris drawled, taking a sip of his coffee. “Got a telegram for the Fort from Simmerson. He’s asked us to escort the stage from Bitter Creek to Eagle Bend tomorrow. Seems its carrying a shipment of old bills that need to be taken out of circulation. He and his men were going to do it but they’ve been hit by an outbreak of yellow fever and they’re a bit short handed. They would appreciate the help and they’ll owe us a favour.”

While carrying out such a task extended beyond the purview of their duties as lawmen in Four Corners, cultivating a good relationship with the army was always a good thing. You never knew when you needed their help, what with the Indians in the area and the lawlessness that took place along the Santa Fe trail.  When Earl and his men had tried to take over Four Corners thanks to Royal and James, the seven’s impersonation of the army had done much to turn the tide of the fighting.  However, none of them were blind to how wrong it could have gone and being able to call on the real army for assistance, might have made things a might simpler.

Besides, Chris and the fort’s commander, Major Simmerson, had known each other during Chris’s army days and Chris had said Simmerson was a pretty decent sort of man, deserving of the help.

“Yeah, it’s just worth it just to see how twitchy Ezra is going to get around all that old money, he’ll be like a dog sniffing out a bone he can’t get at.”  Buck grinned before taking a bite out of the tortilla on his plate.

“Just don’t let him drive the wagon, he’ll take off for the border and we’ll never see him again,” Vin laughed, admitting that would be entertaining. Even though Ezra was a little more satisfied with his lot these days, the promise of easy money would always rob the man of good sense. Vin was glad to be among his friends again and had to admit, he missed them after a few days alone. Suddenly, the thought of running off and leaving them behind for a few weeks, felt impossible in the face of all this camaraderie.   “Actually, I gotta head back out to Purgatory. Something may be brewing up there.”

Chris immediately sat up straighter, the gunslinger’s eyes narrowing in interest. “Like what?”

Vin noticed the others were looking at him now, probably prodded into seriousness by Chris’s tone of voice. The gunslinger could sniff out trouble better than any man alive and by now, they had come to rely on it as gospel.

“Not sure,” Vin shrugged, wishing he had more information than just a bad feeling. “When I was in Purgatory yesterday, I ran into Johnny Miller.  I used to know him a few years back...”

“Johnny Miller from Kansas?” Chris declared, knowing the man all too well. By reputation any way, and it was one that was bloody as well as alarming, especially if the man was in this vicinity.

“Yeah,” Vin was surprised, exchanging glances with everyone at the table before he turned back to Chris. “You know him?”

“I heard of him,” Chris replied. “He’s a hired assassin. Does the job with a shotgun to the face. Real subtle. When he ain’t doing that, he’s robbing stages or chasing folk off their land.  I know the law’s driven him out of Kansas and he’s been moving south. Last I heard he was in Arizona. Didn’t think he’d turn up here.”

“Well he’s here and there’s at least twenty men riding with him,” the tracker said unhappily, even more concerned now Chris told him this news. Of course, he always knew Jay was going to end up bad. At the orphanage, all Jay knew was how to use his fists to get his way but there was also calculation and cunning, like pushing people down the stairs when they weren’t looking. He never knew right from wrong, not even back then.

“Twenty men?” Josiah frowned. That’s a big crew and now he’s here and our problem. Wonderful.”

“How do you know him Vin?” JD asked curious as he glanced at Inez approaching the table with Vin’s breakfast.

“I knew him from when I was a little fella,” Vin replied, having no wish to go into any more detail about the orphanage and his experiences there. While Josiah, Buck and Chris knew better than to delve too deeply into his past, JD was always interested and Vin had no wish to recount his time in that place.  “Just ran into him in Purgatory yesterday and told him I was heading south. He said if I  wanted to make some money, he could use more men. I gotta head back there tonight if I want to ride out with him.”

Chris wasn’t sure he liked the idea of Vin joining these men. If a situation developed, he’d be on his own. On the other hand, Vin was also one of the most resourceful men he knew and if anyone could infiltrate the group and find out what was going on, it would be the tracker.

“Be helpful if we knew what he wanted here,” Josiah remarked, understanding Chris’s hesitation had to do with the younger man’s safety but like Chris, knew how capable Vin was.

“I hear you,” Chris sighed after a moment, none too happy about Vin going it alone but it couldn’t be help. “Okay, stick with him and see what he’s up to. Don’t stay any longer than you gotta to pard, he may have been your friend a long time ago, but he’s as dangerous as a cut snake.”

“We weren’t friends,” Vin said firmly. “Just shared the same cage, that’s all.”

Frankly Vin was grateful for the information because now he knew what Jay was about, he wouldn’t let sentiment cloud his judgement. Not that he had any deep feeling for the man or anything. Jay had been dangerous then, and it looked like little had changed. Once again, he wondered who was financing this for Jay to head out this way with so many men.

“Here you go Vin,” Inez interrupted his thoughts, as she served him the plate of chilaquile and filled his senses with its tasty aroma. Like everything she cooked, the meal she made his stomach leap in anticipation at the eating.

“Thank’s Inez,” he said gratefully.

Suddenly, the saloon fell quiet when a woman stepped into the establishment. Dressed in the finery they were accustomed to seeing when Julia Pemberton walked into the room, the woman with her dark gold hair and pleasing smile, did not appear bothered by the eyes staring at her in a mixture of lust and surprise. Instead, she scanned the room and broke into a smile when her gaze fell on their table.

“Miss Cassandra,” Buck got to his feet, surprised to see the woman in the saloon. Women didn’t come into the place often and when they were forced to, did not remain long.

“Hello Mr Wilmington,” Cassandra glided across the wooden floor towards their table, casting a quick glance at Inez like she was something beneath her, which immediately annoyed Vin. He caught sight of Inez looking down at herself and running her fingers through her hair as if the woman was right.

Naturally, Buck noticed none of this.

“What can I do for you Miss Cassandra?” He asked, a hint of a smug smile on his face at the fact she’d sought him out.  

There would be no living with him after this, Vin thought silently.

“Well I wanted to take a ride out of town, catch the sights and I was told it wasn’t safe to do so on my own.”

“Territory’s a dangerous place,” Chris remarked, aiming his high-powered gaze in her direction. “Whomever told you that was right.” He didn’t bother to introduce himself.

“And that is why I thought Mr Wilmington might be willing to escort me,” she flashed a smile at Buck.

“Why I’d be happy to,” Buck’s grin went from smarmy to shit-eating.  “When would you like to go?”

“In an hour perhaps?” Cassandra smiled wider, batting her eyes with just enough suggestion to indicate she was more interested in spending time with Buck than she was at seeing the sights.

“I’ll be there,” the big man said with a nod.

“I look forward to it,” Cassandra beamed and then regarded the rest of them at the table. “Gentlemen.”

They returned with a mixture of tipped hats and polite ma’ams before the woman left the room, the faint fragrance of lavender following her as she swept through the doors.

With a smug smile, Buck grinned at them. “It’s my animal magnetism.”

Inez audible snort joined the groans around the table as she swept past them and headed towards the bar.

“Hey Inez, can I grab more coffee?” Buck asked as she was leaving.

“Why don’t you get your new woman to get it for you?” She said snidely and winced inwardly for exposing her feelings to the man. Despite herself, Inez couldn’t help how she felt when that woman regarded her earlier.  Accustomed to Buck’s attention, her self-esteem had taken a blow at the way she was so easily dismissed.

“Inez, you ain’t jealous, are you?” He flashed the men at the table a smirk, perfectly aware he was going to get an incendiary response from the woman but he couldn’t help it. “Say the word, and I’ll forget about her and sweep you off your feet to make ...”

“Finish that sentence and you will wear your food, Senor Wilmington.” Inez warned, not about to put up with talk like that, even if from him and especially after making plans with _that_ woman.

Not that she was jealous.  No, not at all. Not in the slightest.

“Stop snaking the lady,” Chris ordered, shaking his head in amusement. Although Chris had to admit, Inez did seem a little perturbed for someone who claimed she wasn’t at all interested in Buck Wilmington. Then again, the two were like mating alligators and it was anyone’s guess where the two of them would end up some day. Still, Chris hadn’t liked the way Miss Cassandra had eyed Inez either.

“Alright, alright,” Buck threw up his hands in surrender. “But you know where I am, Inez.”

The lady rolled her eyes and left with a shake of her head.

“You do like the difficult ones,” Josiah shook his head.

“And the charming ones, and the pretty ones, and the breathing ones...” JD trailed off, eliciting a laugh from everyone at the table.

“When did she come to town?” Vin asked no one in particular, in between bites of his food, having not seen the woman before today.

“She came in with the fella buying Heidegger’s when you were out of town.” Josiah explained helpfully.

“Heidegger’s selling?” Vin exclaimed with some surprise, unaware the German had intended to sell the hotel. It wasn't that long ago since the man acquired the place from Maude Standish and from what Vin had seen, he had been doing well with the business, not to mention the man looked like he enjoyed being in Four Corners.

“According to Mr Riley Marshall, that’s the fella who came with Cassandra,” Buck added. “She’s going to be his new singer. He’s from Australia.”

“Australia,” Vin mused, recalling it was one of those faraway places Alex told him about. She likened it to the Territory, if it had been stretched across the whole country.  “Alex says it’s like the Territory if it were the size of America.”

“Yeah, Australia,” Chris said quietly. Vin noted the unspoken sentiment of caution and concern reflected in Chris’s eyes. Two things that were never a good sign. The somewhat uncanny knack of guessing what was on Chris’s mind told him something about Marshall bothered the gunslinger, but hadn’t made up his mind enough to voice what that might be. The tracker didn’t push, aware that when the time came, Chris would let him know.

* * *

“Alright, I’m gonna drop in on Alex and say goodbye before I head off to Purgatory,” Vin said a short time later, after he was finished with breakfast. “I’ll meet up with Miller and see what he’s doing in town and get away when I can. You gonna be okay without me tomorrow?”  He looked at Chris, feeling a little guilty he couldn’t accompany them on the escort duty for the army.

“Don’t see why not,” Chris drawled. “No one knows the money is leaving and if we keep it quiet, we can get it across to Eagle Bend before anyone figures anything out.”

“I’ll be going then,” Vin nodded and got to his feet.

“Take care,” Buck remarked, not liking it when any of them went off on their own. Vin was so accustomed to being alone, he often forgot there was safety in numbers. For someone as loyal as hell, he often forgot people felt the same way for him too.

“I gotta. Alex will kick my ass if I get myself into trouble.” He said with a faint smile.

“Amen to that,” Josiah smirked. “God did put women on this Earth to give man incentive.”

“I might as well get to the jailhouse,” Chris remarked, getting to his feet, intending to walk the tracker out.

Vin had a feeling Chris was ready to impart what was on his mind earlier, now there was a chance to talk alone.

Taking leave of their comrades, the two men walked out of the saloon, stepping into the afternoon light of the day, squinting at the stark contrast between the sunshine and the dim light of the salon. Behind them, the batwing doors swung with diminishing creaks.

“Something on your mind pard?” Vin asked when they started walking down the boardwalk.

“I ain’t sure,” Chris admitted. “Something don’t feel right about this Marshall fella. When he showed up that day in the saloon and we introduced ourselves to him, I could have sworn it looked like he knew me and Nathan.”

“You met him before?” Vin asked, suspecting not because Chris would have mentioned it otherwise. The man could spot a lie a mile away and knew how to read people better than anyone Vin knew. If he believed Marshall was familiar with him and Nathan, Vin believed it.

“No,” Chris shook his head, “I’m pretty sure I’d remember him.” Still it wasn’t just Marshall’s familiarity with him and Nathan that concerned the gunslinger. Although the man thought he had been discreet, Chris had been keeping an eye on Marshall ever since Chris spied him in the company of Alex on the boardwalk.  “He also seems pretty interested in Alex.”

Vin’s spine straightened and the tension ran through him like a sliver of ice. Considering what had been on his mind this morning, regarding his concerns for her state of mind of late, the unwanted attention of another man was probably something she could not deal with, right now.

“What do you mean?”

“Not sure,” Chris admitted. “He went out of his way to talk to Alex and he’s been asking about her.  How long she’s been in town. Who she’s courting, that’s sort of thing.”

While he didn’t like the idea of anyone invading his privacy or Alex’s for that matter, Marshall’s inquiries after Alex might just be a symptom of his interest in her.  Besides, Vin was trying not to jump to conclusions because all that would do is panic Alex unnecessarily if she became aware of Marshall’s interest.

“That could just mean he’s sweet on her,” Vin shrugged. “Alex is awful pretty, he might be wanting to know if she’s free to court or something.”

“True,” Chris agreed.

“Can’t say I like it,” Vin admitted, “but I can’t shoot every varmint that looks at her wrong. Although it would be might handier if I could.” he tossed Chris a smirk.

Chris uttered a laugh but Vin could tell by his eyes, he was still worried and anything that made Chris worry, made Vin pay attention.

* * *

Upon leaving Chris at the jailhouse, once they discussed what was going to be done with Ambrose Wayne, whom Chris would be delivering to Bitter Creek tomorrow, when they rode there to play escort for the army, Vin headed in the direction of Alex’s clinic. Approaching the length of the boardwalk where Gloria Potter’s store was situated, he sighted Alex who appeared to be running errands before she began her appointments for the day.

Judging by the basket she was carrying and the general direction she was headed, Vin guessed she planned to pick up a few things at Gloria’s store. Catching up to her in a couple of long strides, Vin was aware once she was done with this errand, he wouldn’t be able to see her because he needed to make his rendezvous with Jay out of town.

“Hello Darlin,” he came up alongside of her, coiling an arm around her waist.

“Hello Mr Tanner,” she looked up at him and flashed him a smile he felt right down to his boots. “How are you feeling this morning?” Her eyes twinkled with a spark of mischief and for a second, she looked like she was back to her old self again.

“Relaxed,” he smiled wolfishly at her, perfectly aware she was referring to their heated love making for half the night, after which they had fallen asleep in each other’s arms until his departure of dawn.

“Yes,” she said with an equally wicked smile and then leaned forward and spoke in a quieter voice to ensure her next comment went unheard.  “I feel the same way, twice as relaxed as a matter of fact.

“Three actually,” he leaned closer to her ear and whispered huskily. “you fell asleep in the middle...”

“Vin!” She swatted him on the shoulder before giving him a look that was half amused and half annoyed.  “I am glad I was able to please.”

“Yeah, it was kind of different when you don’t talk,” he smirked. “Nice actually.”

“Oh, you’re so going to pay for that,” she gave him a look as they approached the store.  “Come over for supper tonight?”

“Sorry Doc,” Vin said apologetically especially when she seemed brighter this morning. “I gotta head out to Purgatory again. Something may be brewing and I want to get ahead of it. Won’t be gone for more than a day though.” He promised and hope it was the truth. Vin only intended to be in Purgatory long enough to learn what Jay was up to.

“Too bad,” Alex sighed with disappointment when she glimpsed Riley Marshall walking towards them, further along the boardwalk.

As with their previous encounter, the man was impeccably dressed in his expensive clothes and no doubt manicured nails.  Looking at him, made her think of Francis Lamont and instinctively, she took Vin’s hand in hers, needing to feel his skin against hers.  Riley’s gaze fell on her first, before shifting towards Vin, studying the tracker in a manner that made Alex feel somewhat uncomfortable. Closing the distance between them, he interspersed his approach by tipping his hat in greeting at the townsfolk along the way.

“Ain’t seen him around before,” Vin remarked, watching the man approach and not missing the way his eyes fixated on Alex. It wasn’t lost on him how Alex was suddenly tightening her fingers around him and once again, Vin cursed not realising how much the ordeal with Lamont had affected her until now.

“Oh, that’s Mr Marshall,” Alex explained. “He came to town while you were away. Apparently, he’s buying the hotel.”

“So that’s him,” Vin took in the sight of the man and guessed why Chris was concerned. The similarities between this man, Randall Mason and Francis Lamont were too close for his liking. Suddenly Vin didn’t like the idea of having to leave town.

“Good morning, Doctor Styles, how nice to see you.” Riley greeted upon reaching the couple. He tipped his hat in her direction and then regarded Vin, waiting for an introduction.

“Good morning Mr Marshall,” Alex said with a half-hearted smile. “This is Vin Tanner, my fiancé.”

“Ah the elusive fiancé, who didn’t appear in the official announcement,” Riley returned with a smile. “Shame on you Mr Tanner, if this pretty doctor was my fiancee I’d like everyone to know it.”

“I reckon they got an idea,” Vin returned smoothly, not about to take offense even if it might seem intentional. At present, he was willing to give the fancy man a little leeway to get a bead on what he was about, particularly in his intentions towards Alex.

“An oversight in the printing,” Alex added, having already prepared this answer for anyone who brought up Vin’s name being absent in their engagement announcement. “Mrs Travis has already apologised and I will have a free month’s subscription of the Clarion News.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Riley said amiably. “I am pleased to meet you Mr Tanner, you are indeed a lucky man.”

“I am,” Vin retained his unflappable mask, studying Riley closely and deciding he didn’t like the man. Something about the way he regarded Alex put him on guard and what Chris said about the foreigner asking after her, started to bother him. While Riley appeared attracted to Alex, his interest seemed deeper than that and it put Vin on guard.

“Then you should put a ring on her finger Mr Tanner,” Riley added good naturedly. “I was ready to call on the lady until she advised me of her situation.”

“That’s being taken care of,” Vin replied unperturbed.  While he was no longer unsure about her love for him, he wasn’t blind to the fact people found them a mismatched pair and other men, particularly rich, fancy ones with loads of book learning, like Riley, might think that was reason enough to steal her away.

Alex only had to glance at the way both men were staring at each other to know something unspoken was passing between them, like some gauntlet being thrown she did not understand. While Vin didn’t seem bothered by Riley’s question, she could tell he didn’t like this stranger at all. It was time to end this now.

“Well we shan’t keep you Mr Marshall, have a good day,” Alex said politely and without giving him a chance to say anything further, she started walking, tugging Vin along with her.

While Vin didn’t appear bothered by the exchange, Alex felt her anger bubbling inside of her.  She hadn’t liked the way Riley questioned Vin about their engagement and thought the question of her availability had been settled when she told the man about it the day before. Except now his behaviour indicated nothing of the kind.

“So, he wanted to call on you?” Vin asked when they left him behind.

“Don’t start on me Vin!” She snapped, yanking her hand free of him. “I didn’t ask for his attention!  He wanted to call on me and I told him I was engaged! It’s not my fault, he can’t understand that!”

“Doc I didn’t...” he started to say, shocked by her outburst.

“I know what you mean! It’s not my fault I look like this or men can’t get it in their heads that I’m not some possession they can own by killing the people I love or trying to drag me off somewhere to do whatever they want! I’m tired of it! I want to live my life, with the man I want to be with, without having to look over my shoulder at some bully who won’t take no foran answer or who thinks because I’m not white, I’m PROPERTY!”

With that, she spun on her heels and started to walk away, leaving him in stunned silence, uncertain what just happened. After her quarrel with Ezra over Julia Pemberton, Alex tried to keep her personal affairs private which was why she had been so mortified when the Klan dragged her name through the mud.  Seeing her like this, frankly shocked him and Vin was not about to let it go at that.

“Doc,” he caught up with her in two long strides. “Talk to me, what’s wrong?”

She spun around to face him and Vin’s jaw dropped seeing there were tears in her eyes. Alex almost never let down her guard in public and certainly over something as trivial as Riley Marshall’s unwanted interest, which hadn’t bothered him in the slightest.

“I’m sorry,” she dried her face with her sleeve. “I don’t know what came over me. I didn’t mean to bite your head off like that.”

“It’s okay,” he said giving her a little smile to reassure her. “I ain’t mad. Just a little worried.”

Alex looked up at him. “With everything that’s happened lately...the day hit me harder than I thought. My father taught me not to be weak and I feel it Vin, I feel it so much this week.”

“This week?” Vin didn’t understand, even though her distress was plain. She was always willing to show him her vulnerable side but today, he was seeing her raw and bleeding, as if there were wounds as fresh as the one Lamont had inflicted on her.

“Tomorrow, it would have been a year since my father died.”

“Aw Doc,” he pulled her to him, understanding at last with that revelation.  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because it shouldn’t matter.  He’s dead, what difference does one day or one year make? He’s gone!”

“It makes a difference cause he’s your pa and you loved him.”

“And I got him killed,” Alex said softly. “Like I almost got you killed.”

Vin stared at her. “Doc, that wasn’t your fault. That son of a bitch Randall killed him. You didn’t do anything to make him do that.”

“Maybe not but when we were in London, I thought he was my friend. We went to dinners and dances together. When I was at medical school, being a woman and not white, I was an outcast. He was my father’s old friend who was nice to me. What if I made him think there was more to it than that?  How could I not see him for what he was?”

“Doc, look at me,” Vin said firmly, “you ain’t to blame for that bastard. Not any of it. You’ve done nothing to be ashamed of.”

However, even as he held her and tried to make her believe it, he didn’t know the whole truth. Vin didn’t know she had murdered Randall Mason.


	6. Word Play

A dry, lazy wind blew over the landscape, bending golden stalks of grass to its will as Buck Wilmington sat astride his horse Beavis, travelling up the overgrown path through the terrain at Whitley Pass. Seldom taken by those heading north, the trail was swiftly returning to the untamed ruggedness of its past before the arrival of settlers. Buck soaked in the sight of tall aspens and pines, their leaves and needles turning golden with the fall. Their rich, differing shades of gold were a stark contrast against the cerulean sky.

Next to him, Cassandra’s eyes were closed as she tilted her head towards the sun, taking in the light heat against her creamy coloured skin. He observed her for a few minute and admired the beauty of her, the way her golden hair seemed to gleam under the light and wondered what it was like to run his fingers through the strands. He had known many women in his time but this one, had a lot of hidden depths and there was a mischief in her blue eyes that told him she didn’t take him seriously, and he was okay with it.

She was riding side saddle on a chestnut morgan as they took in the day, enjoying each other’s company and though Buck was anxious he might not have that much to say to a woman of her ilk, it turned out she was pretty down to earth, beneath all the fancy trimmings. Much like Miss Alex and Miss Julia had layers it had taken time for all of them to see, to the benefit of Vin Tanner and Ezra Standish.  He supposed Miss Cassandra was the same way, and whether or not she ended up being his mystery to solve, Buck didn’t mind making the attempt anyway.

“So what’s it like growing up in England?” Buck asked, breaking the silence.

She blinked, shaking away whatever hidden thoughts lay behind her blue eyes and offered him a little smile. Despite the ulterior motive for this invitation, she was somewhat surprised by what good company he was, even if he was a bit rough around the edges. There was a charm to him not even a woman as jaded as she, could stay immune to.

“Dull,” she admitted readily with a little laugh. “When you’re a woman of good breeding in England, there’s only one thing to do with your time. We spend our days trying to become accomplished so some man will choose us for marriage.”

“Becoming accomplished? What does that mean?” He made a face, hoping it was not as distasteful as it sounded. Buck loved women, whatever the flavour. Their differences were half the fun. What made them special was usually how much they stood out, not conformed. Of course, there were some conventions the times demanded they obey but still. The most exciting women he’d ever known, or would like to know, were the ones who did things their own way.

He hated the idea being accomplished meant giving up that quality just so they passed muster before some fella could even look at them, let alone marry.

“Oh you must have an extensive knowledge of music, be able to carry a tune, must be able to paint, be an excellent dancer, speak several languages, be graceful in one’s walk and demeanour, the usual.”  She recited and took note of the distaste falling over his features. “You disagree?”

Buck listened to her recital with nothing less than shock. “That’s a lot of learning just to be considered accomplished, and for what? Just for someone to ask for your hand?”

Buck knew his view on women had changed considerably since meeting Mary Travis, Alexandra Styles and Julia, Pemberton, to say nothing about Inez Recillos. He couldn’t imagine thinking any less of those women if they didn’t possess any of these skills. All four were fiercely independent and although he was somewhat intimidated in the beginning, the joy they brought to the lives of their men was predicated largely on their ability to speak their mind and be capable of surprising them.

“Believe it or not, yes.” Cassandra replied, finding his horror rather amusing. “What do you look for in a woman, Mr Wilmington?” she asked coyly.

“Well, being pretty always helps,” Buck winked playfully in her direction, prompting Cassandra to utter a small laugh. “But in my experience and I’ve been fortunate to know quite a few ladies in my time, the best ones always know their own mind, can give as good as they get, have a sense of humour about things especially if they’re putting up with me, and being kind.”

Cassandra was rather impressed by that list. “Those are good qualities to have. I wish it were the way in England. I grew so tired of trying to live up to an ideal, I just wanted to leave. I didn’t wish to be married and if you’re measured any less by society than what is expected, you have to settle for what man will ask you.”

“What about love?”  He asked, having seen the catastrophe or the misery following entering the marriage state without that very important component. Sure, you might be able to get by without it, but it made the hard times easier to bear.  Also, when there was only the sunset of life left to look forward to, it was nice knowing you could look into the eyes of the one you loved and know there was still excitement in the feeling for one another.

“In the upper classes Mr Wilmington,” she spoke in a tone of mock haughtiness, “love and marriage are not exclusively mutual to each other.”

“Well I couldn’t do that,” Buck shook his head, unable to imagine anything worse than a loveless marriage. “When I marry someone, I want to be able to look in her eyes and know I’m all she wants, me and all my foolishness. I want to be grateful every day for being alive so I can come home to her and see she’s happy to see me when I do.”

The words were spoken with such earnest, Cassandra couldn’t help but feel something tug at her heartstrings when she heard it. “You’re a romantic.”

“Aren’t you?”

“No,” she shook her head genuinely saddened by this. Life had beaten such notions out of her head. Being forced to leave England to make her fortune alone rather than face ruin made sure of that. The decade spent in the Americas sharpened her cynicism so much, it made the idea of love seemed quaint, even elusive in the face of the ugliness she had seen.

“Well that’s a shame darlin’,” he said with a smile. “I was hoping to charm you with moonlight and flowers. Now I guess I’m going to have to come up with another plan.”

Cassandra smiled at him from beneath her lashes and reached for him. Her fingers brushed lightly against his shoulder, a suggestive gleam in her eye. “I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

Buck caught on quickly, always adept at interpreting the signals from a lady. “I can think of a few things, if you want to take a break from the riding. There’s a pretty spot not far from here, has a nice view of the creek.”

“I think that would be lovely, Mr Wilmington,” Cassandra smiled, more than willing to see what those things were.  “Lead on.”

* * *

An hour later, they were lying on Buck’s spread out bed roll, watching the clouds forming patterns overhead while drifting over them across the blue sky. Cassandra’s blond hair formed a crown over Buck’s shoulder as she lay in his arms, perfectly content after a wonderful bit of love making with the sun over their backs.  The light mist of sex still lingered in the air, making them feel young like teenagers who didn’t know better than what they felt for each other.

“As plans go Mr Wilmington,” Cassandra sighed, nuzzling against his bare shoulder, “I approve.”

“Yeah I do surprise myself,” he grinned, tilting his head to plant a soft kiss against her hair, savouring the smell of her perfume in his lungs.  In truth, he expected a few more rides and suppers before finding himself in this position but its premature arrival did not lessen the experience one bit. It had taken him by surprise how passionate she was, and supposed being an independent woman allowed her to indulge her passions in whatever manner she pleased.

“You are making it very easy for me to remain in Four Corners, Mr Wilmington,” she said, enjoying his skin against hers. “I shall have to work harder to convince Riley he must give Heidegger whatever he wants for his hotel so we can remain in town.”

Buck smiled at that.  “I would hate to see you go, that’s for sure.”

It was true, he would. Even though he loved Inez, he worried she might never admit what she felt for him and Buck wasn’t sure he wanted to wait around indefinitely. Not when someone like Miss Cassandra might care for him. He let Louise Perkins slip by his fingers because he had been reluctant to leave his friends, but seeing how happy Vin and Ezra were with their ladies, Buck wondered if that had been a mistake.

“So would I,” she craned her neck upwards so she could press her lips to his in a kiss. “But we can figure that out later. How about another ride tomorrow? There’s still a lot of Territory I haven’t seen yet.” She winked at him suggestively.

Buck made a face of disappointment. “Oh darling, I’d love nothing more but I gotta work tomorrow.  We’re needed to escort the stage for the Army from Bitter Creek. Be back by sundown though, if you want to grab a late supper?”

She stared at him thoughtfully for a long moment before breaking into a smile, “I’d love that.”

* * *

Riding towards Purgatory, Vin hated leaving Alex in the state she was but she would hear none of it. Alex being Alex however, would not allow him to change his plans just because she was, according to her, having a moment of weakness.  Vin didn’t think her melancholy and her self-reproach on the anniversary of her father’s death to be weakness, but could do little to convince her otherwise. Once she composed herself, the demeanour of the tough doctor returned and all signs of her distress was hidden away for his benefit Vin was certain.

Unfortunately, the rendezvous with Johnny Miller was important, particularly if he and his twenty men had designs on some mischief in the area.  Reluctantly, he accepted her assurances she would be alright, and she would seek solace in the company of Mary Travis and her other friends until his return.  Saddling up Peso and riding out of town, Vin rode out of Four Corners, still feeling a little torn at having to leave her, while admonishing himself for not seeing just how deeply Alex was wounded.

How had he never suspected she harboured such feelings of guilt over her father’s death? Like him, Alex kept her feelings pretty close to the chest but considering how intimate they were, Vin felt he ought to have at least seen it.  Furthermore, Vin suspected her guilt had preyed on her mind long before the approach of the anniversary of William Styles’s death.  While he could see why she might think herself responsible for her father’s murder, because she drew Randall Mason’s affection, what happened could not possibly be her fault.

Vin had experienced firsthand Randall's insanity.  When had engineered Vin’s capture at the hands of bounty hunters, he’d boasted how he always loved Alex and knew she would be his no matter what. Considering Alex had met Randall when she was still a girl of sixteen, Randall’s obsession had plenty of time to mature into full blown madness.  The utter fury in the man’s eyes when Vin taunted Randall with the knowledge of his intimate relations with Alex, had nearly driven the man to kill him on the spot. Only the timely intervention of Randall’s henchman, Mr Rihs, prevented his death. Against such insane obsession, William Styles’s polite refusal of the man’s offer of marriage for his daughter’s hand, stood no chance.

The anguish and fury Vin saw in Alex’s eyes when Randall chose to make this revelation known to her was something Vin never wanted to see again. By all accounts, until her arrival in Four Corners, her father had been her entire world. She hadn’t known her mother long enough to have anything more than vague memories of her and Vin knew, her father’s kin in England saw her as a half caste mistake, better to be forgotten. When Randall killed William Styles, he hadn’t just taken her father, he’d taken the only person in Alex’s life who gave a damn whether she lived or died.

He realised they never had a chance to speak about how she felt learning about Randall’s hand in her father’s death, beyond that moment of revelation. Events tumbled by so quickly after that declaration, with Randall almost killing Alex with a cowardly shot to the back. In the days that followed, Vin was so grateful she was alive after such a grievous wound, he saw no need to revisit such a painful subject. Even when he told her Randall had died in his jail cell, Alex had barely reacted to the news, probably thinking it mattered little in the face of what the man had taken from her.

In any case, it was nothing he could deal with now, as he rode across the desert terrain towards Purgatorio, hoping it wouldn’t take him too long to learn what mischief Jay and his men were up to in the area. By the time he was halfway there, it was late afternoon, with the sun disappearing over the horizon, turning the mesa in the distance a deep amber, like a fire god watching over the desert with indifference. The clouds were stretched thin across the sky, like white spears frozen in place.

Vin soaked in the beauty of the land, taking its solitude and calm for as much as he could because once he arrived in Purgatorio, such loveliness would give way to the seedy harshness of the shanty town where hope came to die. The nature of the place allowed it to be nothing else. It was peopled by folk driven there by desperation because society abandoned them, either through circumstances or their own choices. To him, Purgatory always seemed on the verge of being swallowed up by the desert.  Outlaws and bushwhackers gave it a temporary lease on life but even Vin understood, the time of outlaws and gunslingers was coming to an end.

Like the buffalo.

It was almost dusk when he arrived in Purgatory, keeping his promise to make it back in time to meet Jay’s deadline. The dust storm that dogged him yesterday was gone, leaving only a thick veneer of sand on the iron roofs of the shacks and the deeper stain of red dust on the calico tents.  As he rode through the dirt streets, towards the livery where Peso could wait out his time in Purgatory in comfort,  Vin could hear the sounds of rowdy behaviour, the odd gunshot, and raucous laughter riding the wind through town.

Upon reaching the livery, Vin stabled Peso before he made his way towards the open flap of the tent saloon where Jay was waiting. The rumble of voices greeted him as soon as he stepped through and it didn’t take him long to find Jay in the crowd.  The man and his gang were occupying the largest tables in the establishment, with the other patrons giving them a suitable berth because the danger reeked off them like the stench of foul water.

While they had all been in a celebratory and jovial mood the day before, this time, there was a mood of sobriety among them, even with the shot glasses on the table. These weren’t men who were there to have a good time, these were men with a job to do and were hip deep in planning it as he approached them.  Jay caught sight of him immediately and Vin noticed his eyes narrowing in calculation, with hidden meaning that immediately put the tracker on guard.

“Runt!” Johnny called out as he saw Vin. “You made it!”

“Told ya Jay, I ain’t no Runt anymore.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Johnny threw up his hands in mock apology.  “Everyone, this here is Vin Tanner. Vin and me go way back. He’s going to be joining us on this run.”

The men at the table regarded him with hard stares and suspicion, which did not surprise Vin in the least. Men like these, did not live long if they didn’t size up a threat immediately but Vin was seeing something more and once again, a gnawing suspicion tugged at him. Unfortunately, making a hasty retreat at this point was more or less impossible. If there was something wrong, he’d be dead before he even got to the flap.

Whatever happened next, he was going to have to ride it out.

“Just in time,” Zeke threw him a smile but Vin saw no humour in it. It was the kind of a smile a rattlesnake gave you before it sprung.  The man pushed out a chair between himself and Johnny.  “Looks like we’re going to need all the help we can get.”

“That’s what I’m here for,” Vin spoke in his usual laconic drawl, giving no indications he knew something was up. “What’s the job?” He waved at one of the barmaids for a drink. Vin had a feeling he was going to need one.

“Just got word, the army’s moving something from Bitter Creek to Eagle Bend in the morning,” Zeke explained once he got the nod of permission from Johnny to proceed.  “They’re sending it to the railway on the stage.”

Shit. Vin thought to himself, wondering how the hell had Jay gotten wind about that goddamn stage.  Simmerson had contacted Chris directly through a telegram and Franklin at the telegraph office knew better than to divulge its contents to anyone. The man considered it a sacred duty.  Secrecy was necessary when they were moving cash intended for removal from circulation, otherwise they would have every varmint in the area making a run at it.  

“Do we know what they’re moving?” Vin asked, revealing nothing in his expression, wanting to know how much secret information these men were privy to.

“Not sure,” Johnny answered before Zeke could, downing the contents of his shot glass with one neat swallow. “But word is, the shipment is being protected by lawmen, so it’s gotta be worth something.”

“What kind of numbers?” Vin asked seemingly unconcerned as he took a sip of his drink when the shot glass was placed in front of him.

“No more than seven,” Johnny eyed him with those watery coloured eyes, devoid of expression so hard to read.  “There’s enough of us to take care of them without much trouble.”

He wasn’t wrong, Vin thought. Under normal circumstances, the seven would have no difficulty dealing with outlaws trying to hold up a stage but twenty men, who were going to take Chris and the others by surprise, had the potential for disaster. Somehow, he had to get past these varmints to warn them.

“What about the Army?” Vin allowed himself one more question because any more than that, would draw suspicion, even if he suspected it might be already too late. “If this is their shipment, where are they in all this?”

“Seems they got the fever,” Zeke explained and once again, Vin wondered where the hell they were getting their information.  That was something the Army would have kept a lid on and the only persons who knew this, were the seven.  

“That’s why they’re getting the law around these parts to do the escorting for them.” Johnny’s second in command concluded.

“Fair enough,” Vin shrugged, feigning nonchalance at news that would under any other circumstances, have him running for Peso to get back to Four Corners.  Looking around the table he added, “You got enough men to deal with them anyway. Near three to one odds is always good in my book.”

“Oh we’re ain’t all going,” Johnny declared with a little smile.  “Zeke’s going to take a dozen men to deal with the stage but the rest of us have got another job on. I got the feeling that one is going to be of more interest to you Run... I mean Vin.”

There was something about the way he said it that made Vin’s skin crawl but he continued the act for as long as he could. “Didn’t know you were so ambitious.  What’s the second job?”

“This one is a bit more subtle,” Johnny leaned closer as if he didn’t want anyone else privy to the details. He drained his drink and called upon another to be served before asking.  “You know these parts much?”

“I know every corner of the Territory,” Vin replied automatically, “what do you need?”

Behind him, Vin heard the scrape of chair legs against the dirt and knew Zeke was pulling his chair closer to them.  He saw Jay’s eyes shift slightly, making contact with the man over his shoulder, in the same way Chris passed signals to Vin, and knew whatever came next, he wasn’t going to like.

“Gotta find a place called Four Corners.”  Jay was eyeing him closely now and Vin had a terrible premonition the man knew exactly who he was, and where he had come from.  It wasn’t impossible of course. If one looked hard enough, one might have found someone in Purgatory who might know he ran with Chris Larabee and the protectors of Four Corners.  Suddenly, staying alive came to the forefront of his mind. Maintaining his calm for the moment, Vin let things progress to see how this played out.

“I know it,” Vin replied, “little place. Flat as a tack. It's got lawmen protecting it but there’s little else there.”

“Yeah that’s what the little lady who hired us said,” Johnny said with a smile, wondering if Runt had noticed it was more than Zeke who was paying attention to him now. At least five of his men were watching Vin Tanner closely. “That’s why I’m sending Tucker and the others after this stage tomorrow. Keep the lawmen busy so me and the others can slip into town.”

This was getting worse by the minute.  What did Jay want in Four Corners? All this subterfuge seemed a bit excessive to rob a bank, which was the only thing a group of outlaws like this might find interesting in the town.   

“What’s happening in town?” Vin showed genuine puzzlement at this. “I know the place, it’s got a small bank, not much else. “

“We ain’t after a bank,” Zeke said behind him and the man’s breath on Vin’s neck told the tracker how close he was. Vin had no doubt if he made a move for his mare’s leg, he would be dead before he even managed to draw.

“We’re after a woman,” Johnny declared.  “We’ve been hired by some fellow who is after someone in town. Some woman who killed his brother. Seems she filled him up with poison to make it look like a heart attack while he was in the jailhouse.”

 _Heart attack_.

Jesus Christ. It hit him like a bullet to the brain. Randall Mason! Jay was talking about Randall Mason! The horror of Randall Mason’s brother being in Four Corners, managed to shatter Vin’s unflappable expression once and for all. Suddenly, it all fell into place, Riley Marshall was Mason’s brother. All the man had to do was change his letters and no one was the wiser.  That’s why the son of a bitch was so interested in Alex!  The man thought Alex had killed his brother.

It was impossible. How could he even think that? According to Chris, Riley had been asking around after Alex, he would have known Randall had shot her. When that son of a bitch met his end in the jailhouse, Alex was home recovering from a gunshot wound to the back. She was hardly able to move after that, let alone murder anyone.  There was no way she could have made it to the jailhouse and done the deed.

Then as the thought crossed his mind, Vin remembered waking up in the darkness, two days after she was injured. A surge of panic had filled him when he realised she wasn’t in her bed. For a split second, he entertained the absurd idea Randall managed to abduct her after all, even though the man was languishing in the jailhouse with a shattered ankle, courtesy of Chris Larabee. After a quick search of the house, Vin found Alex on the porch, fast asleep on the wooden bench she used to watch the sunset.

What had she said when Vin woke her up?  She had gone for a walk?

What if she had actually done just that? Gone for a walk all the way to the jailhouse. Randall would believe her weak enough to let her get in close, allowing her to inject him. In the condition she was in, Randall would not have seen her as a threat. Had Alex used that to get close enough to Randall to inject him with poison? He’d seen her drug the men who were taking him to Tascosa without batting an eye. Could she have done the same to Randall with something far worse? After all, Randall didn’t just threatened to kill him and chase her forever, he’d killed William Styles.

Was Alex angry enough that day to actually kill Randall?

As a doctor, murder was abhorrent to her but Vin remembered her eyes when Mason gloated the kill, the absolute rage that passed over her face. Is that what was eating her lately? Her regret at killing Randall? Such an action would fly in the face of everything she believed in but Vin could appreciate the wound that could not be forgiven. Randall had been a rabid dog and if he had come after Alex one more time, Vin would have done the deed himself.

If Randall’s kin was in town looking for vengeance, Vin had to get back to Four Corners immediately. Remembering his present situation, he turned his attention back to Jay, whom he suspected knew what Alex meant to him.

Letting out a sigh, Vin met Jay’s blue eyes with pretext surrendered. “So what’s the plan Jay?”

“He wants the woman alive,” Johnny replied, aware they were nearing the edge of civility. “Apparently he’s got a ship waiting in Galveston. We grab her and give him an escort to Texas. He plans on taking her back to England to hang.”

Whatever restraint Vin had left snapped at that statement.  He was on his feet before he knew what he was doing. Even as he stood, Vin could hear the guns clicking to life around him, with Jay appearing unsurprised by his reaction.  

“You knew all this time?” Vin accused.

“Actually no,” Johnny shrugged, nodding at Zeke behind him to relieve Vin of his gun. “Figured it out when they told me the lady doctor they were after was engaged to a tracker named Vin Tanner.”

Vin cursed under his breath, furious at himself for walking into this situation and becoming trapped and unable to help Alex.  Worst still, when they made their move to snatch her, Chris and the others would be dealing with the ambush by Zeke and the rest of Jay’s men. Behind him, he felt Zeke removing the Winchester from his holster, keeping him still with the cold press of a gun barrel against his back.

“Don’t do nothing stupid Tanner,” Zeke warned. “I ain’t got Johnny’s feeling for you, I’ll blow a hole in your back if you try anything.”

“You go near her and I’ll kill you,” Vin hissed, even if the warning was impotent.  Provoking Jay was never a good idea but the fear of any harm coming to Alex was more than he could stand.  Whether or not she killed Randall Mason, the man had it coming and he was damned if she was going to hang because of it.

“This ain’t personal Vin,” Johnny looked at him genuinely apologetic. “If I’d known she was your woman, I’d have turned it down but I’ve been paid a lot of money to make sure she gets to that boat in one piece.”

“So what? You kill me?” Vin glared at the man, deciding that Jay hadn’t changed one damn bit. He was still a cold bastard who would do anything for his own ends. Dying didn’t frighten Vin, not in the slightest, but knowing his death meant he would be unable to stop Alex from being taken across the sea against her will, was more than he could stand.

“I ain’t killing you Runt,” Johnny stared at the tracker.  They weren’t friends, not in the slightest, but in the cage they had grown up together, they earned each other’s respect. He meant what he said when he claimed he wouldn’t have taken the job if he knew of Tanner’s involvement but it was too late now. Business was business.  “You and me, we go a long way back and I respect you for wanting to save your girl but I can’t let you get in the way of what I gotta do. Man who hired me doesn’t care what happens to you, he just wants the woman. So you’re just going to have to sit this one out.”

With that, Johnny nodded at Zeke behind Vin, and before the tracker could react, something hard landed on the back of his head and he knew nothing more.

* * *

So far, the duty to escort the stage had been quite routine. They’d arrived at Bitter Creek to find the few soldiers from Fort Stanton not struck down with fever loading up the crates of old currency unto the back of the stagecoach, in the privacy of the depot to maintain the secrecy of what was being carried. The currency was stashed in nondescript crates that looked like it might have been carrying farm equipment, instead of a fortune in cash.   Leaving the town before noon, the lawmen remained out of sight because Chris wanted to make sure no one suspected there was anything out of the ordinary with this particular trip.

Once out of town away from prying eyes, they caught up with the Conchord, taking the route through Baker’s Pass.  While flanked by craggy mesas in the distance, it was relatively flat, providing a clear line of sight for some distance. Interspersed with Yucca and cacti, there were tufts of grasslands trying to make a go of it through the red dirt, without much success and its general lack of green, kept most travellers off this particular path.

Chris was riding on his own, while the others were spaced around the stage, maintaining a good pace along side as it rumbled across dry, rocky soil so hard packed, the wheels barely left the normal tell-tale tracks across the ground.  Even though he kept the stage under close scrutiny, his mind was still fixed on Riley Marshall, recalling the conversation with Mary the night before and liking none of the conclusions her words led him to.

After meeting the man, Chris had asked Mary to see if she could enlist her newspaper contacts to learn anything about the foreigner. Over the years, Chris had found Mary’s ability to ferret information from the most unlikely sources to be quite reliable and hoped, she would have some connections, even in a place as far as Australia. She hadn’t held out much hope of it but Chris had asked her to try nevertheless. The man just bothered him.

As expected, she was unable to learn anything about him. No one ever heard of Riley Marshall anywhere. Not even how he came into the country. Mary had reminded him, this was not unusual. If Riley did indeed come from Australia, there were limits to what her contacts could gather from such a distant place. The man might be exactly what he claimed to be and yet Chris had not forgotten how the stranger reacted to him and Nathan when he first learned their names.  

Riley knew them from somewhere and it was driving Chris to distraction, not knowing how.

When the stage came to a stop for the horses to be watered, Josiah sidled his horse alongside of Chris’s own, having noticed the gunslinger’s somewhat preoccupied mood.

“You worried about Vin?” Josiah inquired.

“Always worried about Vin,” Chris remarked, prompting a slight chuckle from Josiah. “Not this time though. He can take care of himself.”

Although now Josiah mentioned it, he wondered why Vin wasn’t back yet. The tracker left yesterday afternoon and Chris’s instructions had been clear, learn what Johnny Miller was up to and come straight back. Of course, Vin had a mind of his own, especially when he was onto something. When he was stalking prey, whether buffalo or the human variety, the man could be relentless. If he got his teeth into something, he was liable to burrow in to see what he could find.  Then again, the numbers Vin described were formidable and Chris didn’t want him tangling with the gang, no matter how capable he was.  

Chris made a mental note to ride into Purgatory, if Vin was still absent when they got back to Four Corners tonight.

“So what’s on your mind?”

“Riley Marshall,” he admitted after a moment. “Mary wasn’t able to find anything out about him.”

“The man did come all the way from Australia.”

“True,” Chris had to concede the point, “or there’s nothing to find because Riley Marshall doesn’t exist.”

“You think he’s hiding his identity?” The preacher raised a brow.

“I think there’s a good chance of it. He knew me and Nathan by name, that’s not a coincidence and he’s been asking about Alex on the quiet. He’s not asking anyone who knows her, just the town gossips. Vin thinks it’s because the man’s sweet on her but...”

“Mr Marshall wouldn’t be the first man who’s taken an interest,” Josiah pointed out.  As much as the doctor tended to ignore the attention of admirers, there was no denying she was one of the most beautiful women in town. The woman made no effort to use that beauty, relying on her skills as a healer to take her through life.  “Francis Lamont for instance and before that Randall Mason. Hell, he even has the same initials as Riley Marshall.”

Chris’s spine straightened. In a sudden burst of clarity, the pieces fell into place and all the loose strands nagging Chris since the man arrived finally formed a picture with ominous implications.  The familiarity that struck Chris when he first laid eyes on the man, the fact Riley knew Nathan and him by name, not to mention his surreptitious inquiries into Alex’s relationships in Four Corners. Josiah was right, the initials were the same. Just a simple bit of wordplay to hide who he really was.

“Jesus Christ, that’s it! That’s how he knows us!”  Chris shot Josiah a look.

“What?” Josiah didn’t follow.

Chris’s mind was whirling. “When we sent Randall Mason’s body onto his people in England, mine and Nathan’s name were on the paperwork. That’s why he recognised both of us. That’s why he’s been asking after Alex. He’s related to Randall Marshall.”

“We need to get to her....” Josiah started to speak when suddenly Buck’s voice cut through his words, interrupting anything the former preacher had to say.

“CHRIS!”

Both men exchanged glances with each other, digging their heels into their mounts almost at the same time, forcing the horses into a sputtered trot before they were galloping at full stride towards Buck who was on the other side of the carriage. Without even seeing what caused Buck’s worried call, Chris barked at the stagecoach driver and JD who was playing the role of shotgun messenger for this journey.

“Get moving!”  Chris waved his arm at the man to hurry because whatever was coming, was most likely coming for the stage.

Wallis the driver, wasted no time questioning the man in black, racing towards the carriage. He was in his fifties and had spent years performing his duties across the Territory, to have encountered his fair share of stagecoach robbers and Comanche raiders to know what was coming. Despite his age, Wallis was pretty spry and clambered into the driver’s box to get the stage moving within seconds. Climbing onto the cargo area of the carriage with equal speed was JD, who immediately began checking Ezra’s Remington rifle in readiness for use.

Buck and Nathan who were astride their horses, were facing the jagged line of rocks forming part of the mesa flanking the pass. As Josiah and Chris neared them, Chris was able to see why Buck had called for him so urgently. Emerging from the rocks and closing the distance quickly, possibly in an effort to catch them by surprise because they had come to a stop, was no less than a dozen men, however, instead of breaking off in pursuit of the stage, the men were coming at them.

“We got company!”  Nathan hollered at Chris, stating the obvious.  

“How the hell did they find out about this?” Josiah demanded as Wallis got the stage rumbling away from the scene. The team of horses were slow to break into stride, which only allowed the men who would soon be in pursuit to narrow the gap and catch up with it.

“Beats the hell out of me!” Buck declared hotly.  The gang of men were still a distance  away and at this time, the only course seem to be to lessen those odds before they got any closer.  This was one time, they could have used Vin. The tracker’s sharpshooting skills could have reduced those numbers significantly before it came time to conduct the fight with pistols.

“Any chance those men are the ones Vin was talking about?” Nathan asked, suddenly concerned about the tracker’s welfare. Because if they were here, where was Vin?

Chris tensed at the thought and hated it when his natural suspicion was proven right. He should have ridden after Vin in Purgatory this morning when the tracker hadn’t returned. It was too late now. If those men were Johnny Miller’s, then they had more than just one problem. For the moment however, the immediate situation needed to be dealt with.

“Could be!” He answered Nathan tautly and the healer saw by his dark expression, he expected the worst. “But we ain’t got time to worry about it now.”

Too many things were crowding his concentration at the moment. From the possibility Riley Marshall might be related to Randall Mason and to Vin’s absence, Chris had to focus on one problem at a time. Retrieving his rifle from his saddle, he started loading the weapon. “The rest of you keep going after the stage!” He ordered. “I’m going to narrow the odds a little!”

“Not alone!” Buck stated firmly, meeting Chris’s gaze with an expression that indicated he wasn’t about to leave the gunslinger’s side. They were out in the open and on his own, Chris could get cut down when those men returned fire because they had rifles too.

Chris didn’t bother to argue. “Nathan, Josiah go!”

The duo nodded and took off after the stage before Chris turned back to Buck, his rifle primed and ready to fire. “We got maybe two or three shots.”

“Better make them count,” Buck nodded, raising his own weapon to take aim.

The rifles fired simultaneously and while they were not sharpshooters like Vin, both men were accustomed to shooting across distances well enough. No sooner than they fired, they could see two men tumbling from their horses, their bodies hitting the dirt hard, causing the horses behind them to rear up in an effort to avoid trampling them.  The brief confusion was one both Chris and Buck took advantage of because it allowed them to fire again. This time, downing two more men.  As they fell into the dirt, Chris could see the riders reaching for their own weapons.

“Let’s go!” Chris shouted, not needing to elaborate because they were about to be beset with gunfire from the rest of the gang.  Even as he said those words, the first eruption of ammunition exploded around them, forcing both men to lean forward in their saddles as their horse broke into gallops beneath them.

Holstering their rifles in favour of their irons, they rode hard after Josiah and Nathan, who were narrowing the lead between themselves and the stage. Keeping their heads down, aware they were in danger of being hit in the back, they looked behind them only to squeeze off a few rounds at their pursuers.  At least the enemy numbers were cut down from twelve to eight and the odds were somewhat in their favour.

Approaching the stagecoach, the two men split up with Chris joining Nathan at one flank of the stage while Buck did the same to cover Josiah.  The bullets were coming faster now the men behind them were closing the distance. On top of the stage, Chris could see JD lying flat on his belly across the cargo area, taking aim with his rifle. The kid had waited long enough for them to get out of his way before he started shooting.  Meanwhile, Ezra showed himself through the window of the stage, preparing to add his fire to the fight.

The enemy had fanned out across the flat plain, perhaps realising that approaching in clusters was making it easier to be shot at. Instead they attempted to outflank the lawmen escorting the stage. While groups of two and three fell into direct pursuit of the escort, the remaining three surged ahead towards the stage itself, with guns blazing.

Forced to defend themselves against the outlaws trying to shoot them from behind, Chris recognised the strategy. They were trying to shoot down Wallis. Chris was about to yell out a warning at JD but the kid was no longer the greenhorn he was when he trailed them to the Seminole Village. From behind the sight of his Winchester, JD remembered everything Vin Tanner ever taught him about sharpshooting, draining his mind of all the noise and fuss around him, focussing on nothing but the target in his crosshairs, not even seeing the thing in front of him as a man.

He squeezed the trigger gently, a subtle movement considering the chaos around him and unseated one of the riders, even as he felt a bullet whizz past his ear, close enough to feel its heat. The rider tumbled off the saddle, landing hard against the ground, a ball of dust created upon his landing. The death of their comrades made the remaining two men concentrate their fire on him and JD had to keep his head down as bullets tore into the wood of the carriage. Behind him, he heard Wallis utter a cry.

A stain of crimson spread across the man’s back as he slumped forward, the shot having gone straight through Wallis’s heart and ending him with one bullet. JD swore under his breath and scrambled across the roof of the carriage, determined to get to him before Wallis fell out of the driver’s box to be crushed beneath the wheels. Dead or not, JD wasn’t going to let his body be further desecrated. They had conversed during the ride here, enough for JD to have developed a liking for the man and feel the sting of his loss.

* * *

Meanwhile Ezra leaned out the window, determined to put an end to the duo who took Wallis’s life.

Like JD, he liked the down to earth man, who had survived too long as a coach driver to have such a fate befall him. Ezra took careful aim and fired, making sure the bullet met its mark. Although he did not see from this distance, where it had impacted, seeing his target slump forward in his saddle, the reins dropping from his fingers, gave Ezra proof of his accuracy. However, he could not rest on his laurels because the final member of the triad was firing at him. A bullet splintered the wood beneath his window, sending jagged pieces in all directions.

Ezra averted his gaze to avoid being blinded by wooden splinters when something struck him in the collar bone hard enough to make him groan in pain. He could feel the lead impacting against bone and the smell of blood and burnt flesh. Falling backwards into the carriage, he landed heavily against the seat, hissing in pain.  While it burned white hot, he allowed himself a moment to recover, before he returned to the window again, poking his head through to see the third gunmen riding hard alongside the carriage.

Ezra kept low, as the outlaw rode past, intending to take out JD who had at this point, taken hold of the reins to control the team of horses. The coach was no longer threatening to careen to one side after the loss of Wallis. Ezra kept out of sight, allowing the outlaw to believe, he’d dispatched the gambler with that last shot.  As he rode by, Ezra suddenly emerged at the window, surprising the man who turned to him just in time to see Ezra snapping the derringer into his palm and pulling the trigger.

The bullet blew out the back of his head.

Dead before he hit the ground, he disappeared beneath the wheel of the coach, crushing bone and flesh with little more effect than a slight jolt of the carriage. This time when Ezra fell back into the leather seat, he had no intention of moving again because the pain was done allowing him all the easement it intended. He could feel it in waves causing Ezra to reach inside his burgundy coat, which was now ruined by a single bullet hole. Unscrewing the metal flask, he took a good swing of the liquor inside wondering how his life had been reduced to this.  Bleeding for a stage full of cash he would never be able to touch.

Sometimes Fate could be a capricious wench.

* * *

 When Buck saw the three riders going after JD, he reacted as he always did when the kid was in trouble. Throwing caution to the wind, he was determined to get rid of the varmints behind him and Josiah so he could help JD out of his predicament. He fired a succession of shots even as bullets were surging past him. Pulling at the reins, Buck veered Beavis into a sharp turn, heading towards the outlaws instead of away from them. Keeping his head low, he rode hard and fast, paving his way with a deadly hail of bullets.

Ensuring Buck didn’t get his head blown off, Josiah covered his back by riding after him, deciding if he was going to meet the crows today, he might as well do it head on, instead of his back to them. Shooting at the trio of men converging on them, they met across the plains like two titans about to meet in a final, cosmic battle.

Buck switched from pistols to his double barrel shotgun as the distance between them narrowed. Josiah dropped one of the riders with two remaining. When Buck fired, the loud, thunderous boom of the shotgun did more to aid the cause than the pellet it ejected. One of the horses, probably the one closest to the blast, reared up on its hind legs, startled by the explosion of sound, throwing its rider off the saddle.

He fell backwards, the gun he was carrying landed against the hard dirt and discharge impotently into the air.  Landing badly, the man did not move after he hit the dirt although Buck couldn’t tell from this distance, whether or not he was alive or dead. The last of the riders fired at the same time at Josiah.  The preacher’s accuracy ensured he would not survive the bullet tearing into his chest, while the outlaw’s shot, struck Josiah in the arm.

“Josiah!” Buck shot the older man a look, continuing to gallop to the outlaw he’d unseated, uncertain if the man was still a threat, but needing to make sure.

“I’m alright!” Josiah shouted, his good hand holding onto the reins while the injured one felt every gallop beneath him.

From where he was, Chris saw Josiah taking the hit and so did Nathan. As usual when the healer saw anyone of their number hurt, the man’s first impulse was to render assistance no matter how damn inconvenient it was. Fortunately, by this time, there were only two outlaws left since the plains were covered with the corpses of Miller’s gang, if this was indeed who they were.  

“Go!” Chris told Nathan, seeing the conflict in the man’s eyes as he squeezed off another round, this time catching the flank of the horse instead.  He wanted to know who these outlaws were and that meant leaving one of them alive. The animal was struck in the side and bucked hard, the sharp whinny of pain that made Chris wince.  Shooting horses was not his first choice and he hoped he aimed well enough not to hurt it permanently.  Throwing its rider off the saddle, Chris saw the man go over the animals head to hit the dirt in front of the horse. The beast stopped moving immediately, determined to protect its legs after sustaining one injury already.

The other rider fired at Chris in turn, with the gunslinger dropping low to avoid being hit. The bullet caught him against the thigh. It spread white hot pain across Chris’s leg before it kept going, ensuring the injury was superficial and one Chris could live with.  Nathan on the other hand, realising he had another patient, veered back to Chris and dispatched the last of the outlaws with a shot of his own. The rider slumped backwards, managing to remain in the saddle, with the reins tumbling from his fingers to flap uselessly against his horse's neck.  

“Chris!” Nathan approached.

“I’m okay!” Chris declared and knew the healer was not going to take his word on it. With a grimace, the gunslinger decided if there was one thing he hated more than being shot, was being fussed over by healers.


	7. Objects in Motion

With Nathan Jackson away from town, taking up his duties as lawman, playing escort to the stage journeying from Bitter Creek to Eagle Bend, Alex found herself the sole medical practitioner in Four Corners. While most licensed doctors tended to be territorial about having other healers practise on their patch, Alex never felt that way about Nathan. After all, he had been attending most of the town’s medical needs long before her arrival and it was the height of arrogance to simply oust him because she had a piece of paper.

True, she was a London educated medical physician and surgeon but she had travelled the world with her father and encountered many healers with extraordinary skills, who never attended a day of medical school. Nathan was one of the most skilled healers she knew and it was her great privilege to help him achieve his dream of becoming a general practitioner. Just like Vin embodied her father’s wild, untamed spirit, Nathan too, reminded her a great deal of William Styles. Like her father, Nathan was a natural healer who simply knew how to help by just looking at a person. It was why she felt it fitting she passed on her father’s copy of Gray’s Anatomy to him.

When he was gone, she often found herself especially busy. While most of the women folk in town and some men had no difficulty coming to her clinic, there were still enough men in town who got nervous submitting to treatment by a lady doctor. Annoying as it was, it was still a man’s world and Alex had to concede to it. Besides Nathan knew how to consult if he encountered anything beyond his knowledge. She did advise him not to do anything more than conduct minor procedures where surgery was concerned. It wasn’t that he was incapable but without a license, he could find himself in serious trouble with the law if someone took exception to it.

Today, Alex was grateful for the distraction. A year ago today, she stood in the Khan el-Khalili Bazaar and held her father in her arms as he slipped away from her. She still remembered it as clearly as if it was yesterday. They had been walking through the stalls, while he floated the idea of spending a social season in England, thinking it was time she met someone. Of course, she had no idea at the time, Randall Mason approached him for her hand in marriage and when refused, resorted to murder to get his way.

She wondered what Randall would have thought knowing it was his actions that drove her across the Atlantic and ultimately into the arms of Vin Tanner.

When she first arrived in Four Corners, it was Ezra Standish who caught her attention, but there was a moment that first day when she saw Vin and was briefly lost in his blue eyes. In retrospect, Alex suspected her attraction to Ezra had to do with the southerner being more like the men she’d known in Europe, with his handsome good looks, polite manners and charm, than any deep attraction. Oh she cared for him well enough, but the burning passion that made one person yearn for each other, made them long for their touch and dream what a future together would look like, was never there for her when it came to Ezra.

The first time she felt anything like that, was when Vin took her hands in his.

The instant he did that, she _knew_. It would take months before she would admit it to herself or do something about it, but in that one perfect moment, he obliterated the walls she kept around her inner self and found a place in her heart. No matter how much she tried to ignore it, tried to remind herself she made obligations to Ezra and breaking faith with one man to take up with another, could potentially fracture the unity of the seven, Alex was unable to ignore the pull towards Vin.

Once again, it was Randall Mason who forced her to admit how she felt about Vin.

By then, Ezra had injured her pride by taking up with Julia Pemberton, although in truth, her heart had not been broken. After Vin accompanied her on the trip to treat Agnes Doherty, which turned into a three day ordeal, Alex returned to Four Corners, knowing she had feelings for Vin that made anything she felt for Ezra pale in comparison. There was no denying she was in love with him, but obligation to Ezra and fear of causing a rift between the seven, kept her silent.

It was when Vin asked her to the dance, and he held her in his arms as they moved to the music of the waltz, Alex knew there was no denying how she felt. She was in love with him and it had taken this long to acknowledge it. That night, they made searing love to each other and by the time they collapsed in each other’s arms, sweaty and panting in a tangle of limbs, Alex knew she belonged to Vin Tanner forever.

Of course Randall had not taken it well. After feeding Vin to bounty hunters, determined to claim the bounty in Tascosa, he’d come for her and made his triumphant declaration of how she would be his wife. Alex managed to escape and rescue Vin through sheer recklessness, but it was in the Seminole Village, Alex finally said the words Vin was longing to hear.

Unfortunately, Randall tracked them there too and in the confrontation that followed, Randall told her what he had done. He murdered her father.

A madness took over her then, one almost as powerful as her love for Vin. The black hatred that rose up within her had only ever surfaced once since then, when Francis Lamont tried to rape her, but it still paled in comparison to Randall’s sin. Even before he shot her, even before Chris Larabee and Nathan Jackson came to their rescue, Alex knew she was going to kill him.

When she confronted Randall days later, when her body was screaming in pain from the bullet he put in her back, she listened to him boast his eventual escape from incarceration and his promise to come back for her. Just as he had lain in wait all those years, like a cobra, waiting to strike at her father, Alex had no intention of looking over her shoulder for the rest of her life. He had already taken her father, she was not going to let him take Vin too.

It would be easy to say necessity prompted her to kill him but Alex knew she would be lying. She wanted him dead. She wanted the satisfaction of looking into his eyes and have him know how wrong he’d been to assume her oath as a doctor protected him. If she had cared enough to enlighten him, Alex would have revealed doctor’s knew how to amputate and cut out cancers to save the patient. Randall was a cancer and she was excising him before he did any further harm. The decision had been so easy to make then, because rage had propelled her.

In the days since then, she had much cause to wonder if she was any better than him.

* * *

After almost a whole day of treating a plethora of injuries from broken bones, fevers, a bit of dentistry and one unfortunate accident with a branding iron, Alex was ready to return home and forget the world existed. As she walked down the boardwalk, she noted the seven had not returned from Sweetwater and felt a pang of longing for Vin, wondering if he would be back tonight. It was a busy day and there were still people walking along the streets, finishing up their business for the day. She saw Mary through the window of the Clarion News and waved at the blond widow who waved back as she passed by.

It didn’t take long for Alex to reach the front door of the clinic and realised she left it open. Frowning because she could have sworn she locked the door, Alex entered the foyer and found someone was in her waiting room. A well-dressed and beautiful blond woman, she did not recognise was waiting patiently for her return.

“Good evening,” Alex said quizzically, once again glancing at the front door to see if there was any signs of tampering. She was sure she locked it.

“Doctor Styles,” the woman rose to her feet. “My name is Cassandra Heglund, I hope you don’t mind but I needed to see a doctor and your door was open.”

“Was it?” Alex frowned and supposed it was possible. She was distracted today. The anniversary of her father’s death, the part Randall played in it and her guilt at the justice she thought she dispensed could have led her to such carelessness. She would deal with it later. Right now, she had a patient to attend to. “No matter, how can I help you?”

“I would prefer to speak of it privately,” the woman said somewhat embarrassed and Alex guessed it was most likely a feminine complaint.

“Please, this way.” She led the woman to her office and surgery.

Cassandra followed the doctor into the next room, the office and surgery split by the white partitioning in the middle. Allowing the doctor to go first, Cassandra reached subtly into the purse she was carrying.

When Alex reached her desk and turned around to gesture at the woman to take a seat, she found herself staring into the twin barrels of a small derringer, not unlike the one Ezra Standish carried underneath his sleeve. The woman was aiming it directly at her stomach, with a gleam in her eyes that told the doctor she would not hesitate to shoot.

“What is this?” Alex looked into her face, feeling a mixture of confusion and fear at the sudden turn of events.

“What it is, Doctor Styles,” Cassandra said with a little smile, “is that we are going on a little trip.”

* * *

They were racing against time.

As it was, the was sun setting over the Territory, dragging its blanket of dark over the horizon told Chris how much of it was against them. Riding with him, was Buck Wilmington, who hid the pain of the day’s discoveries under a grim expression. Chris would have felt sorry for him if the situation wasn’t so urgent. It was bad enough the seven were divided trying to deal with the calamity taking place thanks to the machinations of Riley Marshall.

Nathan and Ezra, despite the gambler’s injury were forced to escort the stage to Eagle Bend and deliver the remaining outlaws to Sheriff Gregg Cross, the replacement of corrupt Sheriff Stane. Cross was a good man who was once a Texas Ranger. Meanwhile Josiah and JD were headed back to Four Corners, hoping to reach Alexandra Styles before it was too late, even though Chris suspected it already was. If mischief had already been visited upon her, it was going to take all seven of them to retrieve the lady doctor.

Which was why Chris was riding hard to Purgatory to find Vin Tanner.

Earlier that day, following the confrontation with the outlaws who tried to rob the stage, the full measure of Riley Marshall’s plans were unfoleded by a repeat offender by the name of Alley ‘Teaspoon’ Turner. Teaspoon, a hired gun whose only real expertise was how often he got caught undertaking any kind of criminal activity. The seven were familiar with Teaspoon from previous encounters and knew the man had only recently got out of Yuma Prison, providing a damning verdict on 19th century prison rehabilitation techniques.

“Come on Teaspoon, don’t make Chris here get surly,” Buck advised the outlaw, a wholly unremarkable man in his forties, with thinning hair and several teeth on a fast horse to rotten, was tied up and being interrogated at the back of the coach, away from his other injured counterpart. The other captive, whom none of the seven recognised was kept apart a short distance away, guarded by Josiah and JD.

“Screw you Wilmington,” Teaspoon bit back petulantly, trying not to look frightened by the black garbed gunslinger who was intimidating as hell without even needing to say a word. 

“Teaspoon,” Buck said with a sigh. “You’re heading back to Yuma Prison, one way or another. Would you rather do it with your kneecaps shot out or would you rather walk in there on your own two feet?”

Buck’s tone was a cross between seriousness and mischief, making it very difficult for Teaspoon to decide how credible the threat was. Nevertheless, he did notice how Larabee’s hand was poised over the butt of his pearl handled Peacemaker.

“Who knows, we might be inclined to talk to Judge Travis and tell him you cooperated with us, maybe get you some time off your sentence.”

Teaspoon scowled, not liking to give in to the two lawmen but was forced to admit he would be looking at a long stretch when he faced a judge again. Any chance of lessening his time was not an opportunity he could ignore. Besides, he had no loyalty to the gang he rode with. This was supposed to be an easy hit, not the bad box this job turned out to be.

“Shut your goddamn mouth!” The other outlaw who was able to hear the conversation, barked from where he was standing.

Without giving him a second glance, Chris drew his gun and fired a bullet at the ground near the man’s feet. While Josiah and JD were perfectly accustomed to such behaviour from the gunslinger, the outlaw showed his fright and uttered a litany of curses, but said no more to Teaspoon.

“Talk,” Chris addressed Teaspoon for the first time.

“You’ll talk to the Judge right?” Teaspoon asked, directing his question at Buck because he suspected Larabee wouldn’t have the patience to respond, at least not verbally.

“As soon as we see him,” Buck assured him, although how much sway his cooperation would affect his sentencing was problematic since Teaspoon was a proven bad risk by his inability to stay out of trouble. Still, there was no reason for Teaspoon to know that. “So who hired you?”

“Johnny Miller from Kansas” Teaspoon answered with a growl. “He wanted a few extra guns to ride out on this job to kill some lawmen escorting the stage. I guess that meant you.”

Chris stiffened, hating to have his suspicions confirmed. When he saw the number of men coming after them, he feared the worst because Vin hadn’t come back with what he’d learned at his meeting. The possibility of what fate might have fallen the tracker sent a cold stab of fear through his heart. Had Miller known Vin was one of their number? Suddenly, his desire to find Vin jumped up a notch.

“Kill us?” Buck demanded, thinking the same thing about Vin when he heard whose gang this was. However, what was more worrying was the fact, Miller had intended to have them killed. “So you weren’t here for the stage?”

“The stage was just the perk,” Teaspoon revealed, a veritable fountain of information now he had gotten going. “We were supposed to get rid of the lawmen escorting it. It seems they were needing to be kept busy so they weren’t some place else.”

“We didn’t see Miller among the dead,” Buck spoke up, exchanging a quick glance with Chris because suddenly this situation was escalating into something a great deal more sinister. While none of the lawmen knew what Miller looked like, there was no need for Teaspoon to know that. “Why ain’t he here?”

“He got another job in Four Corners. Got something to do with a lady doctor in town.”

Lady doctor? Buck’s eyes widened and immediately lifted his head to meet Chris’s icy blue stare. “Jesus Christ. This is about Alex?”

Before he could even finish saying her name, Chris was ready to stride towards his horse, preparing to ride out before the full weight of the situation descended upon him. Ride where? Ride to Four Corners to intercept Alex? Or to Purgatory to find Vin? Not to mention, the little matter of the stage they still had to deliver to Eagle Bend. There were so many separate pieces of this mess they needed to pull together, Chris’s mind was whirling, trying to decide what to do.

“We got trouble!” He rallied the seven, heading instead to the front of the carriage so he could address them all, including Nathan who was tending to Ezra inside the coach.

“What is it?” Josiah asked, confident the prisoner who was bound was not going anywhere if he and JD left him alone for a time. If the man made a run for it, they’d be on him in seconds. As he approached Chris, he saw the gunslinger’s expression to be one of dark concern, which immediately made the preacher tense.

“I was right,” Chris met his eyes directly, prompting Josiah’s earlier memory about their discussion regarding Riley Marshall. “This is about Randall Mason.”

“Randall Mason!” The alarm in Nathan’s voice was clear. Other than Vin Tanner, it was Nathan who was closest to Alex with their sibling like relationship. It was due to the doctor, Nathan’s dream of achieving a legitimate medical license was within reach and Alex filled the void in Nathan’s heart left by his sister Rebecca.

“What’s that crazy bastard got to do with this?” Buck asked, puzzled about how Johnny Miller could have any connection to Randall Mason, the foreigner who’d come to town at the onset of Vin’s relationship with Alex. Randall, who bore a more than terrifying similarity to Don Paulo, had been determined to possess the doctor at any costs, even resorting to abduction and murder.

“We think Riley Marshall is kin to Randall Mason.” The preacher explained.

“Damn,” Ezra whispered and then hissed when something Nathan was doing to treat him, hurt a bit more than usual. The gambler was presently in the back seat of the carriage, with his shirt and coat divested as Nathan dealt with the bullet wound he sustained during the failed ambush of the stage.

“What?” Chris shot him a look.

“It is nothing,” Ezra admitted unhappily, thinking how obvious it all was in retrospect. “When I first encountered the man, I was struck with a sense of familiarity but it never dawned on me how.”

“Can’t say I blame you,” Chris shrugged, absolving the gambler of any guilt when he too, felt the same thing. “I should have figured it out when I saw how he recognised me and Nathan by name. He would have known who we were, because both our names were on the paperwork when Mason’s body was sent back to his people in England.”

“And by his initials,” Nathan grumbled. “It should have been obvious. This whole thing about buying Heidegger's is just a lie, so he can get close to Miss Alex, but what’s Miller got to do with him?”

“Teaspoon just told us, this ambush was never about the stage,” Buck explained, his expression darkening because something else was dawning on him now in light of Chris’s revelation about Riley Marshall. Something that left a bad taste in his mouth because Riley hadn’t exactly come to Four Corners alone, had he? “They were out to kill us all, to keep us out of Four Corners so they could go after a lady doctor.”

“Wait a minute,” JD blurted out. “How would they know about the stage? We didn’t tell anyone about it.” Due to the nature of the cargo the stage was carrying, Chris was adamant about maintaing the job a secret.

“Its my fault,” Buck said quietly. “Marshall would have found out about the stage because of me.”

Suddenly, they all noted the pained expression on his face. There was nothing but betrayal and anger in it. Most things usually washed off Buck and hard as he could be when the situation warranted it, it never penetrated the emotional core of him. Chris supposed it was how he maintained his good nature. Except what Chris was seeing on his old friend’s face, did penetrate. The last time Chris had seen Buck wear a similar expression was the night they waited in fear and worry whether JD would make it through the night after Maddie Stokes had nearly killed the boy.

“What?” JD stared at him, unable to imagine Buck letting something like that slip to anyone. “How?”

“Because you told Cassandra,” Chris guessed, realising why Buck seemed so hurt now. The woman had not hidden her interest in Buck since her arrival, going out of her way to seek him out. Buck, whose Achilles Heel was always a pretty face, was easily manipulated when a woman of Cassandra’s calibre set her sights on him.

“I didn’t tell her we were escorting a stage full of cash Chris,” Buck said coldly, glaring at Chris to give him a little more credit than that. “She asked me to call on her today and I told her I couldn’t because we had a stage to escort from Bitter Creek. That was it.”

“It doesn’t matter now,” Chris dismissed the misstep, because Buck’s face showed enough guilt and hurt for Chris to spare his old friend the added insult to the man’s pride. The gunslinger had the idea Cassandra might have gotten under his skin, and none of them present could ever confess to not being manipulated by a woman at least once in the past.

“That’s right,” Josiah declared, also able to see the pain in Buck’s eyes to wish this matter forgotten for now. “We need to deal with this.”

“We gotta go after Miss Alex,” Nathan stated, looking up from Ezra’s shoulder. “If they went to all this trouble to make sure we were out of the way, then they got plans for her.” His voice was filled with anxiousness for the doctor’s wellbeing. “We can’t let them get to her.”

Nathan still stung with the memory of what Nicholas Serfonteine, his former master, had almost let happen to Alex because of his Klan and his desire to make Nathan suffer. The healer would never forget the sight of the woman after they rescued her from the hands of Francis Lamont after the man beat and damn near raped her. In fact, she hadn’t been quite right since then, Nathan noticed. He would hate to think she was about to undergo another ordeal of similar brutality.

“We won’t,” Chris said firmly, understanding all too well why Nathan was so concerned. Both he and Chris knew there was only one reason why Randall Mason’s family wanted Alexandra Styles. Revenge. There was no telling what they would do to the doctor to get their pound of flesh.

“Alright, this is what we’re doing. Nathan, you and Ezra keep going with the stage to Eagle Bend, we need to get these bastards to the sheriff, and Wallis's body needs seeing to. Not to mention making the train.”

“But...” he started to protest until he realised that it was the best course. Ezra wasn’t up to making a hard ride and there was no way Nathan was leaving the gambler in his present occasion. “It'll get done.”

“Mr Larabee, I am certain I will be functional under Mr Jackson’s ministration soon enough,” Ezra declared, hating it that their efforts to help Alexandra might be hindered by his condition. “We must retrieve Alexandra before Mr Marshall...Mason, whatever he calls himself, works his will upon her.”

“Don’t worry about sitting this one out Ezra,” Chris said, not hiding the fact things were a lot worse than they appeared. Vin was still missing, which meant they didn’t just have to reach Alex, they needed to find out what happened to the tracker too. No plan to harm Alex could have left out that vital component. “As soon as you two are done in Eagle Bend, head to Four Corners. Ezra rest up on the way there because we might need you.”

“Rest assured, I will be in suitable condition to lend my assistance by the time we encounter each other again in Four Corners.” Ezra stated firmly, his concern for Alexandra apparent on his face.

“Josiah, you and JD get riding to Four Corners,” Chris said to the preacher and the youngest member of their set. “If we’re lucky whatever they want Alex for hasn’t happened yet. If they’re expecting us to be dead, they may not be in a rush.” Somehow he doubted it, but he had to hope.

“What about Vin?” Josiah asked about the tracker, whose absence in the light of all this was glaring. “If Miller knows about Vin and Alex...”

“That’s why Buck and I are riding to Purgatory,” Chris said tautly. “If Vin’s still there, we’re going to find him.”

What Chris didn’t say but they were all thinking it. If Vin was still alive, that is.

* * *

_Alex._

It was the first thing that flashed in Vin Tanner’s mind when he woke up with the worst headache imaginable, pounding the inside of his head like the angry beats of a Comanche war drum. He’d awakened on a bed in one of those hooches made of tin, wood and whatever was lying around able to be nailed into shape. Through the throbbing pain in his head, he knew he was tied up, with his hands behind his back and at the ankles. There was also the sharp sting that came with broken skin on the back of his skull and Vin knew the coolness he could feel there was the damp of blood.

There would be, he realised. They needed him out for a good while and though he could see daylight outside, it offered him no comfort because he was still tied up and Four Corners was a few hours away. Jay and his men had a head start and if they were already on their way to get Alex, he wouldn’t get to her in time. It don’t matter, Vin told himself. If he had to follow her to England or to hell itself, he was going to save her. The idea of anything else was unimaginable.

Taking a deep breath, Vin centred himself and focussed on his surroundings, taking stock of everything around him so he could think about escape. Jay wouldn’t leave too many men behind to guard him because the man probably needed every gun he had if he planned on ambushing the stage and going to Four Corners to get Alex. Thinking of Alex in Jay’s clutches made Vin grit his teeth in fury but it was not as bad as thinking of her in the power of Riley Marshall, or was it Mason? All this time, he’d been ambivalent about asking her hand in marriage or telling anyone they were courting because of this bounty on his head, and now it looked like she was the one in danger of hanging.

In the distance, he could hear the clunky sound of an old piano, the chatter of voices and the whinnying of horses at the livery. These were sounds he was familiar with, telling him he was still in Purgatory. He was in a room with a bed, a table with a glass lamp and chair. Sunlight still poured through what passed for the window so he must not have been out for too long since it was still light when he arrived in Purgatory.

There was no one in the room with him and Vin decided to test the limits of what he could get away with in his attempt at an escape . It could have been he was watched until they had ridden off, convinced he would not wake up in time to interfere with their plans. The bed he was lying on was actually a cot, with a thin mattress that smelled musty with sweat and Christ only knew what else.

Rolling around despite his throbbing head, Vin winced as he rolled over to the edge of the bed and allowed himself to tumble onto the dirt floor. A bit of dust rose up in a small cloud over his nose and he shook his head to keep from sneezing before he rolled onto his back and sat up. Searching the room, he saw nothing of use to him until he noticed a section of wall fashioned by a piece of tin, with edges sharp enough to suit his purpose.

Deciding it was better than nothing, Vin made his way clumsily over to it and quickly begin to work on the ropes, trying not to think of what was happening to Alex in the meantime. He thought about all her insecurities of late, the business with Randall and of course the trauma of what Lamont had done to her. Now if he didn’t get there in time, she would find herself in the clutches of another man with cruel designs on her. Vin did not think the strong demeanour she maintained for the benefit of everyone could bear up to that much abuse.

Suddenly, the ropes binding him gave way with a sudden snap and Vin’s hands jerked free at last. No sooner than his hands were free, he bent over and untied the rope around his ankles. Once freed to move, Vin made his way to the window and peered outside. He saw someone seated along the outside wall of the shanty, a few feet from the door. The tracker’s eyes narrowed when he saw the man, whom Vin recognised as a hired gun named Dwight McLean, was examining Vin’s Winchester with interest.

Having run into the man a few times, Vin knew Dwight was dumb as a post and was only good with someone watching his back. Alone, he couldn’t be counted on to sit the right way in an outhouse. Vin watched him for a few minutes, making sure he was alone before making his move. Going to the table, Vin kicked it hard, making enough sound to be heard from the outside. As anticipated, Dwight’s footsteps soon approached the door. Taking up flanking position by the doorway, he made sure he could not be seen when the door swung opened and Dwight barged in without thinking twice.

Vin grabbed the barrel of the gun that passed through the opening between the door jam and the door and snatched it away before Dwight could pull the trigger. The gun left the man’s hands and Vin immediately threw one punch that caused Dwight to stagger backwards. Closing in on him, Dwight was clutching a bloody nose before he realised he was staring down the barrel of his own gun.

“How long have they been gone?” Vin demanded.

“Couple of hours,” Dwight managed to say, aware of the tracker’s reputation well enough to not give him trouble.

“A couple of hours?” Vin stared at him. Just how long was he out?  “What day is today?”

“Tuesday,” Dwight replied.

Vin’s eyes widened in shock. “I’ve been in there since yesterday evening?” He wasn’t hit that hard on the head. He expected to be out for a couple of hours but not for almost a whole day. It meant Jay would have Alex by now and Chris and the others, would have been ambushed at the stage.

“Yeah,” Dwight grinned despite the gun in his face, feeling some vindication by the tracker’s astonishment. “The doc on the hill gave you a dose of something to keep you sleeping.”

The doc on the hill? Vin thought furiously, thinking Purgatory had no doctor or sawbones, just that quack he’d beaten up some months ago, who took care of women who’d gotten in the family way. Julia Pemberton had gone to him for such a service and changed her mind, only to have him drug her and perform the procedure anyway. Vin thought he’d run the son of a bitch off but should have known better.

Outraged by the revelation, Vin brought the barrel of the gun against the man’s head, knocking him out cold before running to the livery where he’d left Peso, praying his horse was still there. He had to get to Four Corners before it was too late. When he first woke up, he was aware of how deep he had been under but assumed it was because he was struck hard. Except that wasn’t the reason at all, Jay had wanted him out of commission, without resorting to killing him.

When Vin arrived at the livery and found Peso where he left the animal, it appeared the horse was just as irate with having to wait for his master’s arrival, greeting Vin with an impatient whinny. As Vin prepared to ride, he hoped he could get to Alex before they crossed the border into Texas. Vin was under no allusions as to what kind of trouble he would be facing if he was force to enter that state. Out here in the Territory, hunters may occasionally try to claim his head for the $500 bounty but in the state where he was accused of the crime, it would be the Texas Rangers that came after him.

Mounting his horse, Vin prayed that when he got to Four Corners, Alex and the rest of the Seven would still be there.

* * *

Josiah and JD arrived in town shortly after dark.

The two men rode hard to Four Corners after the discovery the ambush with the stage was meant to eliminate the seven as a threat, instead of any real attempt to steal its cargo. As they saw the familiar lights of the town when they approached the small community both men called home, Josiah hoped they weren’t too late to help the doctor.  Although Josiah hadn’t missed the gleam in Chris’s eyes indicating otherwise. There were too many instances when they had come too late to help the doctor and as much as Josiah hated to admit it, this was going to be another one of those occasions.

Josiah’s worry was not merely for the doctor however, but also for Vin's continued absence. If Riley Marshall... no Mason, had taken such pains to eliminate anyone who was able to help Alexandra Styles, what would he have done to her fiance? Randall Mason’s hatred of Vin Tanner was apparent from the moment, he and Alex turned up at the dance together, going so far as to feed the tracker to bounty hunters to remove his rival. Did Riley hold the same hatred?

The idea Vin might be dead was a possibility Josiah did not wish to entertain in any shape or form. The preacher felt as strongly for Vin as Chris Larabee and it would hurt him profoundly if anything happened to the young tracker. During that business with Silas Poplar, Vin’s unswerving faith in Josiah, even when Josiah was starting to doubt himself, earned him the preacher’s affection as more than a comrade in arms. That night, Vin had become family.

People tended to forget how young Vin was, that he was only a few years ahead of JD and it was his experience living a hard, solitary life that made him what he was. Josiah often saw through the unflappable expression Vin wore for everyone’s benefit to see the young man beneath, the one who was somewhat shy, a little insecure because he was painfully aware of his shortcomings and possessing an idealistic streak that ran as wide as the Rio Grande.

Although Josiah had to admit, Vin hid his feelings pretty well about the doctor.

Even now, it brought a smile to Josiah’s face seeing them together. When Vin was in the company of Alex Styles, it was easy to see his youth because he behaved like a young man in love, even more so than the misstep with Charlotte Richmond. While Josiah had opted to keep his opinion to himself during that episode, the conflict in Vin’s face about the relationship had been plain to see. There was no such hesitation in his courtship with Alex.

While outwardly, they might seem like a mismatched pair, in truth, Josiah thought they were exceedingly compatible if one looked beneath the facade of their everyday persona and got to the souls beneath. Both were reserved people, accustomed to hiding their emotions, with the same dry sense of humour and subtle approach to everything. They loved each other with the intensity of a blazing fire and smouldered in the quieter moments. Josiah remembered what Vin had been like the night the Klan took Alex. The pure terror in the young tracker’s face made Josiah pray when they arrived at the doctor’s clinic, she would be there.

They went straight to Alex’s when they hit town, not bothering to stable their horses, not with the urgency of the situation pressing up against their spines like the night descending upon them. Hurrying up the front steps to the door of the clinic, the lack of light illuminating from any of the windows seemed to echo Chris’s worry they were too late.

JD Dunne’s expression was a dark frown as he reached for the door knob and twisted it. It turned with the ease of an unlocked door before JD pushed it open, meeting Josiah’s gaze as he did so. Stepping inside, the house was silent as a tomb, with neither light or life to give any indication the doctor was in. The cold air sent a chill down JD’s spine as he recalled the night the Klan had taken Alex. On that occasion, he had been the one to discover her absence too.

Trying to shed some light on the matter, Josiah went to one of the lamps against the wall and lit it, flooding the room with some illumination a few seconds later, allowing JD to move deeper into the place. He caught sight of Alex’s doctors bag immediately, having become accustomed to seeing it with Alex whenever she was doing her healing. She always carried it and if it was here, wherever she went, it was not as a doctor.

“You look down here,” Josiah instructed, “I’ll go upstairs. Just in case.”

Neither of them wanted to entertain the possibility Riley Marshall’s attack on Alex Styles might be to simply kill her in vengeance for Randall Mason’s death, but they could not discount it either. There was still the chance she might be in town, on some personal errand and that search would get underway as soon as they were finished here, but for now that possibility had to be eliminated before they could proceed.

Moving into her surgery, where he and the rest of the seven occasionally come under the lady’s ministrations, JD lit another lamp, noticing it was larger because Alex needed the light for her doctoring. The brightness flooding the room allowed him greater clarity of everything within it, from the benches and shelves that looked like the back wall of an apothecary store, to the gleaming instruments laid out neatly for use.

“JD.” Josiah called out when JD heard the preacher’s footsteps descending from the stairs leading to the doctor’s residence. Josiah’s expression was grim. “Doesn’t look like she’s been at home in awhile. Did you find anything?”

“No,” JD sighed and met Josiah’s gaze. “Nothing at all.”

* * *

Vin was on his way back to Four Corners, when he saw the familiar shape of two riders approaching across the flat, desert landscape surrounding Purgatory. The speed in which they were crossing the hard baked land made Vin reach for his Winchester, just in case they were intending to cause him trouble. With the urgency to get back to Four Corners and Alex utmost in his mind, Vin was prepared to kill any varmint intending to delay him from reaching the woman he loved.

As it was, he was furious he was delayed in Purgatory by a whole goddamn day and had no idea how much of a head start Riley Marshall already had on him. Worse yet, his fears for Alex meant he could not investigate the situation of Chris and the rest of the seven in the ambush set up to keep their attention away from Riley’s plans for Alex. Just like his mad dog brother, Vin thought bitterly.

He should have killed Randall himself. Alex should not have been forced into the position of having to do it. Vin had promised Alex he wouldn’t let Randall hurt her and yet the son of a bitch had shot her in the back, and Vin had still let him live. If he had done it, then it would be him Riley would come after, not Alex.

As the riders closed in, Vin’s night vision which was sharper than most due to his years tracking and buffalo hunting, soon recognised familiarity not only in the horses approaching but the men astride the mounts. The black duster trailing behind in the night, like Death’s own cloak brought no fear to Vin, but a surge of relief. It was Chris and Buck. It gave him the idea perhaps they may have guessed his troubles and come to Purgatory looking for him, since this was the route he’d shown them to take to reach the den of outlaws.

“Vin!” Buck exclaimed with a grin as the horses approached each other and the moonlight above allowed the friends their nocturnal reunion. “You’re in one piece! We weren’t sure you’d be. “

“Is everyone alright,” Vin asked quickly, needing to get this bit of business out of the way. “I found out Jay’s gang was gonna ambush the stage.”

“We know,” Chris replied quickly. “Teaspoon Turner was with them. He told us Miller wanted hired guns to kill the lawmen escorting the stage. Ezra got hurt but not too bad. Wallis didn’t make it though.”

Vin swore inwardly. He met the stagecoach driver once before and liked the man well enough. At the mention of Wallis, Vin noticed the grimace on Buck’s face and wondered what that was about. In any case, Vin knew Teaspoon Turner as a frequent visitor to Purgatory, when he wasn’t spending another sentence at Yuma Prison. He hadn’t seen Teaspoon at Purgatory before he was knocked unconscious but if Jay was recruiting more guns to join him, as he had Vin, then it was reasonable he’d have picked up Teaspoon.

Whatever the case, it didn’t matter. Vin had bigger problems.

“Chris, Riley Marshall is Randall’s brother. He’s hired Jay to help him take Alex back to England to hang for Randall’s murder.”

“Jesus Christ,” he heard Buck exclaimed. While Buck and Chris suspected the man was kin, they had no idea the relationship was that close. What was Cassandra’s connection to all this, Buck wondered. She obviously had some attachment to the Masons’ after her spectacular manipulation of him. “How could he think that? Alex was shot in the back when Mason died!”

Even through the dim light of the evening, Vin caught the flash in Chris’s eyes and knew immediately, the gunslinger was privy to something they did not know.

“Chris?” Vin stared at him, using the same tone of menace Chris often employed when people were holding onto something he ought to know.

Chris let out a sigh. “He may be right, Vin. She may have killed Randall Mason.”

Vin already suspected Alex might have done the deed but he wanted to know what secret knowledge Chris possessed to think the same.

“That’s crazy,” Buck rose immediately to the lady’s defence, unable to believe they could think such a thing. The woman was a dedicated healer. Hell she’d put Francis Lamont together after the bastard almost raped her. Alex commitment to life was fanatical, she’d marched into places no woman ought to be going just to save a life. “Alex ain’t no killer! She wouldn’t even let you gut Lamont after he beat on her! You’re telling me, you two think she actually murdered Randall Mason, when she was still carrying a bullet hole in her back?”

Buck was incredulous.

“Buck, the man murdered her father,” Vin said quietly. “He was everything to her and Randall just lorded it over her at the Seminole village, when he told her nothing was stopping him from taking her. Hell he was ready to shoot me in front of her.”

“He was crazy Buck,” Chris replied. “The way Ella is crazy.”

At the mention of Ella Gaines’s name, both Vin and Buck understood why Chris might have kept silent if he thought Alex killed Randall Mason. Like a trapdoor spider, Ella had lain in wait for years before she chose to kill Sarah and Adam Larabee. There was no doubt in either man’s mind, if Randall managed to elude justice for his crimes against Alex in Four Corners, he would commit the same act of murder before making another bid to take the doctor for his own.

“How do you know Pard?” Vin finally asked, wanting to confirm his own suspicions.

“The morning Randall died,” Chris said after a moment, ignoring Buck’s disbelief. “Me and Nathan found a needle mark on his hand.”

That was it then, Vin thought. Alex had murdered Randall and it explained her state of mind of late. Alex might have been driven out of self preservation to murder the man, but her conscience was eating away at her and on the anniversary of her father’s death, it must have felt especially acute.

Vin didn’t care. A man who would force a woman against her will or put a bullet in her back didn’t deserve to live anyway. To say nothing about murdering her pa, a man from all accounts, Alex loved dearly and still mourned secretly. Vin had only to listen to her talk about William Styles to know how much his loss weighed upon her. It was bad enough she considered herself guilty for not having seen the danger Randall posed to begin with.

No, in Vin Tanner’s book, Alex had nothing to feel guilty for and he’d face down any man who said otherwise.

“It doesn’t matter if she did it or not,” Vin stated firmly, indicating to both Buck and Chris, this was to go no further than that because they had all done things in recent years for which they could be held accountable. “Jay told me Riley plans on taking her to Galveston. There’s a ship there that’s going to take them back to England so she can hang. It’s why they had to keep you away from town, so they could get a head start towards Texas. The only reason I’m here is because Jay didn’t know what Alex was to me when he signed on. He had that quack in Purgatory dose me with something so I’d be knocked out for most of the day. I guess he still had enough feeling for me to not want me dead.”  
  
Buck cursed under his breath, furious at how easily Cassandra used him to get to Alex. “If they got her, they’ll be riding hard towards the Texas border.”

“Then we don’t have a lot of time,” Chris said staring at Vin, perfectly aware of what the tracker risked if he was forced to enter Texas. It was two days ride to the border, if they had a fresh change of horses. That was how long they had to get to Alex. “We’ll hit town first and grab Josiah and JD, they should be there already and start riding.”

With any luck, Nathan and Ezra might be back from Eagle Bend too and they could ride after Alex as seven. Chris knew Vin wanted to ride immediately after Alex, but they had no idea what numbers they would be facing. Vin had to concede Chris’s point. The last thing he needed was to make an attempt to rescue Alex and fail.

God knows he’d failed her enough already by not killing Mason when he had the chance.


	8. Change of Plans

After Francis Lamont, Alexandra Styles thought she would be accustomed to taking a punch to the face by now.

Unfortunately, as the darkness receded around her and she returned to clarity, it was painfully obvious she had not. Her unconscious state was brief but it was long enough for her to wake up to find herself lying on the floor of a wagon, rumbling forward at a brisk enough pace to jostle her awake. The side of her face throbbed and the heat along her jawline implied swelling.  She wondered how long it would take this bruise to fade.

Lifting her head, she saw the evening was dragging the curtain of night across the sky and the lights of Four Corners were nowhere in sight. The land was flat all around her, which meant nothing really, the immediate terrain surrounding the dusty small town was flat as a tack, as Vin always said. So, she had no idea how far away from home she was.  She could taste blood in her mouth and realised at some point she must have bitten the inside of her cheek when she was struck.

Shaking the disorientation out of her head, Alex saw the woman called Cassandra in the driver’s seat, at the reins of the horses galloping swiftly through the encroaching darkness. The wagon wasn’t alone either, because she noticed the hoofbeats of other horses surrounding them and had to crane her neck to see the five riders in flanking positions. They were galloping just as hard to keep up with the wagon and Alex wondered if they were fleeing with such haste to avoid Vin and the rest of the seven.

“You’re awake,” she heard a voice behind her.

Alex hadn’t noticed she wasn’t alone on the buckboard. As she turned her neck, she saw Riley Marshall, who had been sitting at the other end of the wagon, his legs stretched out, watching her as if he had been waiting for her to regain consciousness. He was dressed in travelling clothes and still managed to look ridiculously out of place in the harsh terrain of the Territory.

The last thing Alex remembered after she was taken through the back door of her clinic, was being struck so hard, it rendered her unconscious. She was unaware of who hit her, only that the blow blindsided her and sent her tumbling to the ground. Had it been Riley who committed the deed? After what happened to her at the hands of Lamont, Alex was far from being reduced to panic. If anything, she looked upon this whole thing with resignation, as an inconvenience to be endured until Vin delivered her from captivity.

“So,” Alex spoke first. “What is this all about?”  Her voice was calm, as if she were addressing one of her patients, inquiring as to the reason they had come for treatment.

Her aloof response surprised Riley somewhat. He was expecting fear and panic considering the situation she was in, abducted and on route to parts unknown. Instead, she stared at him with oddly detached eyes, almost unconcerned. Perhaps she was employing her doctor’s facade to hide the depth of her fear and required only a bit of nudging to bring it to the surface. In any case, they had plenty of time before they got to Galveston for him to induce the terror he wanted to see in her eyes.

“Randall Mason.” He said simply, expecting the revelation to engender a more fearful response. There was no reason to hide anything now his hand was played and she was spirited away from the safety of the seven lawmen of Four Corners, to say nothing of her fiancé.

Alex stared at him, eyes widening just enough to show her surprise before she started laughing.

Her response prompted even Cassandra, to look over her shoulder at the strange reaction. The blond woman had been listening over the rumble of wooden wheels and hoofbeats, to Riley’s conversation with the good doctor.  Her puzzlement at Alex’s reaction showed on her face as the doctor continued to laugh.

“What is so bloody funny!” Riley growled, the sound feeling like cuts to the skin as he crossed the buckboard and hauled Alex up to sitting position, forcing her to look into his face.  

After all the planning to reach this point to finally ensnare this woman, her laughter made all that effort seemed foolish. Until now, Riley’s dislike for the doctor was borne of the pain she caused his mother by taking away her favourite son but Alexandra Style's reaction was provoking a surge of rage in him by her emasculating laugh.  

“Tell me, or I’ll break every bone in your hands. See how good a surgeon you are, when your fingers are gnarled pieces of meat.”

The threat did not frighten Alex, because she could see in his eyes, his revenge did not allow for her survival. He planned on killing her. Perhaps the method eluded her, but the result would be the same.  Alex had stopped laughing but she continued to smirk, finding this situation exceedingly funny, even if it was gallows humour. Why shouldn’t she find this whole thing hilarious? What else was there to do but laugh? She certainly was not going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her beg.   Francis Lamont taught her _that_ much.

“All right,” she said almost pleasantly. “I’ll tell you.”

Riley shoved her against the side of the buckboard, allowing Alex to sit up as she faced him. He retreated to the opposite side and watched her, waiting for her to speak.  “Go on then, let’s hear it.”

Alex continued to regard him as if she were enjoying a joke only she was privy to, further infuriating the man who had the power of life and death over her. “It almost seems like fate you should turn up today, of all days.”

“What’s so special about today?” Riley asked, still scowling in the face of her calm.

“My father died today,” Alex said quietly, the humour draining out of her face to be replaced by the sorrow of losing William Styles. “He died in Cairo, on the floor of a market place, surrounded by strangers, dust and flies.  One minute he was there, the next he was gone. Just tumbled to the ground, cut down like Death himself decided it was time he was reaped. He was my entire world. I never had anyone else and he just died in my arms, in the middle of a square, while I could do nothing but watch.”

Riley stared at her hard, wondering what was the purpose of this story and why she had laughed. There was something about her that seemed oddly distant, as if the place he intended to send her was no worse than where she was already.   At this moment, she looked a far cry from the doctor he had seen about town these last few days in Four Corners. “So why are you laughing?”

“Because of you,” Alex shot him an icy glare. “I assume you’re one of Randall’s family?” She didn’t know which Mason he was, but now she was aware of his connection to Randall, could see some similarities in his features.

“He was my brother,” Riley replied tautly, returning her glare with one of his own.

“So, you’re Rylance Mason,” Alex remarked, studying him closer now she knew him to be Randall’s youngest brother.  When she kept Randall’s company in London, he made mention of a younger sibling who was travelling abroad. Observing him now, she saw more similarities, slight as they were.  “You were the brother off somewhere making his fortune in the Indies. Did you give it all up to come after me?”

“I gave nothing up,” Riley bristled at her tone. “My plans are simple. You are going to pay for murdering my brother.”  

Alex flinched a little at the accusation because it was the first time anyone guessed the truth, other than Nathan and Chris Larabee. Reacting to the accusation however, was not the same as admitting to it and she wasn’t about to do that just yet. Not until she knew the full extent of his plans. So far, being told she was taken to face justice meant nothing. She needed details to decide how to proceed next.  If she intended to save herself, she needed to use her head.

“So, what?” Alex stared at him, “you kill me to get your revenge?”

“I am not a murderer,” Riley spat back at her. “You will answer for what you did to my brother. We’re going back to England where you will face English justice.”

Alex hid her reaction to that statement. It was a long way to England. Did he seriously believe he was going to cross the Territory and reach a coastline before Vin reached her?  Somehow, there had to be more to his plan than just that, so she prodded him further to see what he would reveal.

“And what about my justice?  Randall’s death allowed him to escape justice for murdering my father.”

Riley stared at her sharply, trying to hide his shock at that accusation but it slipped through nonetheless. He knew who Alexandra Styles’s father had been. When his mother set him on this course of gaining justice for their family, she mentioned the scandal around the girl’s parentage.

Alexandra was the only daughter of black sheep William Styles, who did the unthinkable by marrying a heathen. The house of Styles, with its attachments to the Duke of Rutland, ostracized William but did not have the heart to disown him or his daughter. The girl was supposedly allowed to keep her inheritance. If such was the case, the possibility Randall may have killed Styles could raise some rather uncomfortable questions if it were made public.

“Why would Randall kill your father?” Riley asked but even as the question escaped him, he knew why.   After everything Riley learned about his brother’s activities in Four Corners, going so far as to orchestrate kidnappings and shooting a woman in the back, how much of a leap was it to believe he had murdered a fellow Englishmen in his attempt win the man’s daughter?

_Brother, had your madness gone that deep?_

Alex saw the realisation in his eyes. Even the woman Cassandra appeared disturbed by this news. Did they really believe they had come here to avenge a saint? They had no idea what kind of animal Randall had been. Why should they? Not even Alex saw the truth until that day in the Seminole village. Nevertheless, it was a weapon she could use, because in the last few minutes, she realised something dhr had not, until now. 

She was done being sorry for herself.

Until she spoke the crime out loud, the enormity of what Randall took from her didn’t seem to justify his death. However, now that it was spoken in the open, its fetid stench turning the air rank with its venom, did Alex realise how Randall wronged  her. Because of Randall, her father would never meet Vin, would never know she found the happiness he so wanted for her and would never know their children. He would never even see the Amazon like he wanted.  It drove home to her why Randall deserved to die and she was done regretting any of it.

“Let me be clear,” Alex stated coldly.  “If I stand on the dock for anything, they will hear how Randall had my father murdered in Cairo in some pathetic attempt to win my hand. I will tell everyone who can hear, how he boasted what he did before giving me a choice to surrender to him or else he’d butcher an entire village of people, including women and children. I will let everyone know the heir to the Mason family, intended on murdering my fiancé and anyone else who stood in his way. You may have me under your power here, but once I get to Scotland Yard, I have the resources to make sure every filthy thing Randall did will be known to everyone in English society.”

“They won’t believe you,” Riley snorted, but the words sunk in.

From across the wagon, Riley and Cassandra exchanged furious glances. For the first time, there was concern in her eyes that perhaps the doctor did have a point. She could be tried but there was nothing to keep her from speaking once she became a guest of the Old Bailey.  Worse than that, what if the family of William Styles paid attention to her words? While they may not accept this half caste as one of their own, they would still be listening with interest if she were to face English law.

“They won’t have to believe me,” Alex saw she drew blood with words and sunk the unseen blade a little deeper. “But I swear to you, they won’t forget me.”

* * *

The minute Vin Tanner saw Josiah Sanchez’s face, he knew they were too late.

Inwardly, Vin suspected as much when he met Chris and Buck halfway back from Purgatory, but as always, when it came to Alex, he hoped against hope he might just make it before Riley Marshall or Mason, whatever the hell he chose to call himself, had gotten to her. Entering the town limits of Four Corners, the three lawmen rode straight to the doctor’s clinic and sighted Josiah and JD’s horses tethered to the hitching post nearest to the front face of the building.

Probably guessing the thunderous roar of hoofbeats coming down the main street of town might belong to them, Vin’s stomach hollowed when he saw Josiah and JD emerge from the doors to the clinic, their faces grim. He exchanged a glance with Chris, who recognised the same look on the former preacher’s face and tried to project an expression of assurance that everything would be alright even if Vin’s heart was running a mile. When it came to Alexandra Styles, Vin was never capable of keeping his calm.

From the day he met her, Alex’s ability to penetrate the unflappable facade he wore around himself like a shield, was how he knew she was the love of his life.  The idea she might be spirited away from him, across the sea, to a land so far away he would never be able to track her, made his insides knot with terror. He had not felt this kind of fear since the Klan had taken her, when he realised she might be in the hands of that animal Lamont, whom Vin still regretted not killing for what he had done to her.

Dismounting as soon as they neared the hitching post, Vin was the first one off his horse as he strode towards JD and Josiah who were waiting for them on the boardwalk. A dust storm had blown into town, which made Vin curse because if there were tracks, they would almost certainly be gone now. The wind whipped at his skin, with signs swaying like flags while window shutters banged against walls. It howled its claim across the small town as it lashed against the lawmen waiting to greet each other.

“Is she gone?” Vin demanded, making no effort to say anything else because nothing else mattered until that one important question was answered.

“Yeah,” Josiah nodded, his expression sombre. “Mary saw her heading for the clinic hours ago and that’s the last anyone’s seen her.”

“We thought she might have gone on a doctor’s call,” JD added. “But her horse is still in the stable.”

Chris’s expression hardened as they saw Vin brush past them and head towards the open doors of Alex’s clinic, worry dogging every step he took there. The gunslinger lingered a moment, waiting until Vin was out of earshot.  Next to him, Buck appeared just as miserable. Chris understood the reason for his old friend’s mood and knew nothing would alleviate it until they retrieved Alex.

“Was there any sign of a struggle in the place?” Chris glanced at the clinic.

“No,” Josiah shook his head. “Door’s been forced open though. If you take a look at the lock, someone’s been at it with a pick. She probably wouldn’t have noticed it when she walked into the building.  It’s been done by someone with skill.”

“They’re planning on taking her to Galveston,” Chris explained to Josiah.

“Galveston?” JD exclaimed, taking note of Buck’s expression and making a mental note to speak to his friend when the moment allowed. No doubt, Buck was beating himself up for being duped by Cassandra Heglund. “Why Galveston?”

“Because that’s the nearest place with a port,” Chris answered. “They intend to take her back to England.  Marshall thinks Alex murdered Randall Mason and wants her to hang for it.”

“That’s Texas,” Josiah stiffened, throwing a glance at the clinic where Vin was undoubtedly searching for tracks or some trace of what happened to Alex.  “Chris, if we cross into Texas...”

“I know,” the gunslinger nodded, perfectly aware of how much danger Vin could be in if they had to pursue Alex’s abductors into that state. Out here in the Territory, where every other man had a price on his head for one thing or another, Vin could lose himself in the anonymity of the wilderness, but in Texas, where the warrant for his arrest originated, it was another matter entirely. If anyone caught wind of Vin’s presence, they could send the Texas Rangers after him and that was a confrontation Chris did not look forward to facing.

“We’ve got to get to her before they get there,” Buck spoke suddenly, finally pulling himself out of the guilt that facilitated Alex’s situation. He could beat himself up over Cassandra’s deception later, right now, they had to find the doctor.

Vin stepped out of the building a second later, the stoic expression on his face, like a mask of stone that no one except Chris could see through. He might appear calm to those around him, but only Chris could tell just how frightened he was.   The gunslinger would feel no differently if it were Mary in the same position.

“Her doctor’s bag is in her office,” Vin announced to everyone quietly when he reached them. “She wouldn’t go anywhere doctoring without it. It belonged to her pa, she takes it everywhere. I think she came back here, and someone was waiting for her inside. They took her out through the back door, it’s open and...” he paused a moment. “There was a bit of blood.”

“Damn,” Buck cursed.

“Not much though,” Vin said quickly, more to reassure himself than the men in front of him. “Not enough to make me think she’s hurt bad.” Of course, the fact Alex might have shed any blood at all had provoked Vin’s fury which he intended to take out on Riley Marshall’s hide.

“Well if they’re headed towards Galveston, and they need to get there fast, we know which way they’re headed and we can catch up to them. If we get riding now, we can get to them before they hit the border.”

“I don’t give a goddamn hell if they cross the border or not,” Vin said sharply, “I ain’t letting them take her to England to hang. I should have killed that son of a bitch Mason when he shot her. At least she wouldn't have had to do it herself and wind up in this mess!”

“Vin take it easy,” Chris tried to calm him down, aware just how hot Vin’s temper could burn when it got going. Nothing got it burning faster than the possibility of any harm coming to Alex.  “We’re not going to.”

“Right pard,” Vin forced himself to calm down, aware he would be no good to Alex if he lost his head. He needed to be thinking clearly. "Okay, they’ll be wanting to get to Texas fast, thinking I won’t cross over after them. Marshall may not know the terrain but Jay does, he’ll keep by the river for the horses. Even riding hard, they gotta rest the animals, since I don’t think Jay would risk stopping at a town with Alex.  He may think his boys dealt with us during the ambush but he ain’t gonna bet the bank on it. The son of a bitch never left much to chance.”

“Then let’s get going!” JD prompted, seeing the worry in Vin’s eyes and not liking it much. The last time Doctor Styles was kidnapped, they let it happen under their noses and JD could tell Chris was seething at letting the same thing take place now.

“We’ll freshen the horses and then head out,” Chris looked at Vin, giving him the hard glare which told the tracker this couldn’t be avoided. If it was a race to the border, they needed their horses fresh, not near run down from a hard day’s riding already.

“What about Nathan and Ezra?” Josiah inquired, aware the gambler and healer were headed back to Four Corners after delivering the stage and their prisoners to Eagle Bend.

“I don’t know if Ezra is in any shape to make the ride,” Buck commented. “He was pretty banged up.”

Josiah frowned because any search that involved Alex was one neither Ezra or Nathan wanted to sit out. Nathan and Alex had developed a sibling affection for each other since her arrival in Four Corners and Josiah knew, if anything happened to the lady doctor, the healer would be as devastated as Vin.  The same went for Ezra. Despite his romantic relationship with the doctor ending some time ago, Josiah knew Ezra still felt warmly towards the lady.

“Either way, we can’t afford to wait for them,” Chris answered, glancing at Vin who was chomping at the bit to go after Alex. The only thing holding him back right now was the realisation that Riley intended her to reach England alive, so she was not in immediate danger. Still, after what Randall Mason had tried to do to Alex, Chris could understand why Vin wanted to reach her as soon as possible.  Randall had been held back from seriously hurting Alex because of his obsession with her, Riley was not.

“If they ain’t here by the time we’re ready to leave, we’ll go without them.”

* * *

It was well into the night before the band of abductors finally came to a stop, to feed and water the horses by the banks of some unknown river, which could have been the Rio Grande. Having put enough distance between themselves and Four Corners, not to mention Vin Tanner’s comrades or the tracker himself if he managed to escape Purgatory, Johnny took the gamble it was safe enough to take a break in the journey.

Although they were on the main cattle trail between the Territory and Texas, the dead of night meant they were so far able to cross the terrain without running into anyone. As everyone stretched their legs and the doctor was allowed her ablutions, Johnny took the opportunity to finally meet Alexandra Styles, somewhat curious about the woman who had given her heart to Vin Tanner.  

She was standing by the rocks above the rushing river, staring into the darkness at something only she could see. He wondered if she was afraid of what was going to happen to her but as the moonlight illuminated her face, he saw no signs of fear and was struck by how beautiful she was. She might have been a half breed but she was the prettiest one he’d ever seen. Johnny could understand why Runt had gotten so riled up at the thought of any harm coming to her.

Keeping her under guard a few feet away, were Zeke and Del, who were unmasked in their appreciation of the woman. In Cassandra’s company, they were forced to mind their manners but no such restraints held them back from openly desiring their captive.

“Gotta say,” Del remarked as Johnny walked up to them on the rocky embankment framing the great river rushing past them. “Tanner’s got taste. I wouldn’t mind getting a bit myself.”

If she heard them, the lady made no reaction, continuing to stare at the river and what lay across it. Johnny wondered if she was trying to see if there was anyone coming for her, or any help she could cry out for? 

“She’s awful pretty,” Zeke agreed. “Any chance we could get a poke before we gotta deliver her to Galveston?” He eyed Johnny with a lascivious smirk. “I mean as long as we get her alive to Texas, it don’t matter does it”

“Just keep your mind out of your britches,” Johnny warned, already disliking the idea of having taken this job without knowing how closely it was connected to his past.  While he’d told Runt it was nothing personal, Johnny had a feeling the man would not see it that way. Even though he and Runt hadn’t been really close friends, they’d respected each other and if Runt did catch up to them, the last thing Johnny needed was to face the man’s fury at having taken his woman.

Alex did hear their words but she ignored them and the knot that formed in her stomach, because of it. Rape was a fact of life in the Territory, when the ratio between men and women were twenty to one. If you were single and unmarried, you were ripe for violation. After Lamont, Alex was more than painfully aware of how vulnerable she was to this when she saw the way her minders looked at her. It only solidified the course she was about to embark upon, no matter what the risks to herself.

She had to delay them from getting to Texas. If she could slow them down somehow, it would give Vin and the seven time to catch up to her. Rylance or Riley as he preferred to be called, had told her why they were heading to there. The man knew about the bounty on Vin’s head and how exceedingly dangerous it would be for her fiancé to cross over into Texas. Entering the state would put Vin in the crosshairs of the Texas Rangers and Alex was willing to risk her life to avoid that possibility.

“So, you’re Runt’s girl?”

So lost in her ruminations, she didn’t hear him come up behind her and frankly, his voice made her jump a little. She was reminded of Chris Larabee’s stealthy approaches, with its silent, predatory deliberation. He did not walk as much as he stalked and his voice had that slow, measured drawl that could switch from pleasant to menace in a second.

“Runt?” Alex stared at him with puzzlement.

“Vin.” He said stopping in front of her. His watery blue eyes studied her closely, admiring her as well as trying to discern what kind of woman she was.

Runt? Alex didn’t like the idea of Vin being called that and didn’t imagine her fiancé would appreciate it either, but then again it sounded like the nickname one would get in childhood. “He’s my fiancé, yes.”

“Fancy lady like you taking up with a tracker?” Johnny asked, finding her use of the word fiancé amusing.  

“What makes you think I’m fancy?” Alex returned, hating it whenever people thought Vin wasn’t good enough for her.

Of course, he was lacking in the things society thought important, a fortune, lineage and prospects thanks to that damn bounty on his head. Yet Alex cared for none of these things. She saw a man who would never break her heart, who was kind and compassionate, who was honourable in how he conducted himself and was loyal to a fault. He was also one of the most capable men she knew and if they did not have a penny to their name, either of them, Alex knew he’d able to take care of them both.

“I’m a half breed coloured, according to them.” She glanced at Cassandra and Rylance who were talking amongst themselves near the carriage, throwing dark glances at her direction every so often, like they needed to keep their prize in view, like all true obsessives.

“You’re fancy,” Johnny stated firmly with a little smile. “Smart too. Ain’t never met no lady doctor.”

“Now you have,” Alex stared at him, sensing his curiosity and decided to indulge him, to see if she could gain an advantage.  “How do you know Vin?”

“We grew up together in the orphanage in Texas.”

That did surprise Alex. Vin never liked to talk about his past. While she was aware he lost his mother at a very young age and was placed in a state orphanage, he did not like to speak of it. If it was anything like the workhouses she chanced to visit during her time in England, she knew such places were little more than prisons for unwanted children.   Vin’s reluctance to speak of his time there convinced her of his suffering since he fled the place as soon as he could. If anyone had raised Vin Tanner after his mother, it was the Comanche tribe who found him.

All the orphanage had done was beat into Vin the virtue of self-reliance.

“He doesn’t talk about it much,” she said quietly, suddenly missing him very much and hoping he was out there somewhere, trying to find her.  “I get the impression it wasn’t a nice place.”

“It weren’t,” Johnny admitted and then looked at her. “But he was tough. He got out sooner than the rest of us, before they could ship him someplace worse.”

“He always said life for him didn’t really start until he ran into the Comanches,” Alex replied. “And you? Did you stay there long?”

“Nah,” he shrugged, “I got out as soon as I could too.”

“I’m glad,” Alex admitted. “I don’t like thinking anyone being trapped in such a terrible place for their entire childhood.”  The sentiment was genuine and once again, Alex found herself grateful for her father and renewed her belief what she did to Randall was the right thing.

Almost as if he could hear her thoughts, Johnny asked, “You really kill that man’s brother?”

“If I did, he had it coming,” Alex was not about to admit anything, although her eyes spoke volumes.

Johnny grinned, understanding the tactic well enough and recognising the gleam in her eyes that gave him her answer. Yeah, she killed him alright and he was actually interested in knowing why.  Maybe he’d find out later.

“Just so you know,” he said instead. “This ain’t personal. I didn’t know you were Runt’s girl, when I decided to take the job.”

Alex rose a brow, seeing he genuinely meant it. She had no malice towards him, he was a mercenary, the way Conrad Rihs, the man Randall hired to trap her, had been a little more than a tool. “If it wasn’t you, it would have been someone else. If there’s one thing I know about that family, they are persistent.”

“I reckon you ain’t wrong about that.” He agreed, knowing by the lengths Marshall was going to and the money he was being paid, she was right.

“Can I be excused?” She asked, sensing his attempts to be conciliatory might be an opening she could use.

“Excused?” He looked at her blankly. “For what?”

“Mr...?” Alex looked at him with feigned exasperation.

“You can call me Johnny,” he replied.

“Johnny,” she spoke with some impatience, “I’ve been travelling for hours and since I do not see a privy anywhere, do you mind if I take some refuge behind those bushes?” She pointed to a cluster of bushes, near the rocky edge of the river.

“You wouldn’t be trying to escape, would you?” He eyed her with suspicion.  She was pretty but he wasn’t a fool.

“Where exactly would I go?” Alex challenged. “Into the river?” She gestured to the river rushing past them, with its frothing white water and strong currents. “Or shall I try to outrun a half dozen men on horseback and a wagon on foot, in the middle of the night?” She shrugged her shoulders to indicate just how ludicrous this sounded before speaking in a sober tone. “I would just like to make the rest of my journey a little less uncomfortable.”

“Alright,” Johnny conceded, agreeing she couldn’t go far even if she had escape in her mind.

“Thank you,” Alex said sweetly and walked towards the bushes, ensuring she was out of sight before she got to work.

* * *

When Rylance Mason set out for the Americas, spurred on by the heartbroken mother left in England, his course had been clear. Emilia Mason demanded justice for his older brother Randall, convinced he was murdered instead of suffering the alleged heart attack resulting in his death. Furthermore, she was convinced the woman whom Randall was willing to flout convention to have was responsible. While Riley had yet to be convinced of the doctor’s guilt when he came to Four Corners, he still had every intention of bringing her back to England to face her accusers.  

However, his subsequent investigations soon changed his mind. Randall’s behaviour was objectionable to say the least and Riley suspected she might have murdered his brother simply to be rid of him. Whatever the cause however, Randall was still his brother and if she had taken his life, Riley wanted her to pay. More than that, he wanted her to admit it so he would know for sure, this course he had embarked upon at the cost of his conscience was right.

Until the doctor revealed Randall’s complicity in William Styles’s death and placed a greater dilemma on his hands.

“You need to consider the situation seriously Riley.” Cassandra advised as they faced each other out of earshot of Miller and his men, not to mention the doctor. She was manageable at the moment, confident of her safety because they needed her to reach England alive. If she overheard this conversation, she would be no longer that accommodating.

“I know,” Riley answered. Listening to Cassandra speak, he knew the argument she was making was a convincing one.  This was no longer a matter of assuaging Emilia’s need for vengeance. If the doctor was correct and Randall had indeed murdered William Styles in Egypt, then it was intelligence that could not be made public. Whether true or not, the scandal would damage the family’s name, to say nothing if it could be proven.  “I knew Randall was obsessed but killing a relation of the Duke of Rutland? I never thought he could be so stupid.”

Even if the Styles family had ostracized William, it did not mean they would take kindly to learning he was murdered by Randall. And if his mother was able to apply to the Royal College of Surgeons to gain an autopsy on Randall, what was to stop William’s family from doing the same thing. If the man was buried in England, there was no reason he could not be exhumed to determine cause of death. The doctor had claimed he collapsed in her arms in Cairo, would that mean a poison was administered? And if so, what if it were still present in the man’s remains? How difficult would it be to trace Randall’s whereabouts in Cairo to add more smoke to the fire?

“Once you hand her over to Scotland Yard, she’ll be free to say whatever she pleases. If we were able to learn what Randall was doing in Four Corners in a matter of days, I am certain she would be able to gain the same intelligence.  She has money, resources and numerous collaborating witnesses. She could smear your family’s name all over Fleet Street, Riley.”

He was painfully aware of that and as the avenues of avoidance began to close themselves off, Riley saw only two courses of action. The first, which was to let her go was unimaginable to him. Randall’s death demanded retribution and Emilia would never stand for it. The other, as much as it might prey on his conscience would satisfy all requirements.

“What if she doesn’t arrive in England?”  

Cassandra exhaled loudly, grateful she did not have to wait too long for him to reach the conclusion she had arrived at a good deal sooner than him. “What indeed?”

Glad she was of the same mind, Riley continued his dark train of thought. “I could tell my mother, the lady suffered an unfortunate accident that prevented her from being taken alive. As long as she is dead and admits her guilt, I think my mother will be able to accept the situation. She wanted justice, this is as close as she can get to it, without destroying the family name.”

“Exactly.”  Cassandra, who was an expert at fixing problems, saw no difficulty in altering the arrangement with Miller and his men, from their duty as escorts as assassins. As long as they were paid well, she was certain Miller would have no trouble making the adjustment. “I don’t think it is going to be too difficult for these men to coax a confession out of her. Besides,” the woman said with a little smile. “Judging by the way some of them have been admiring the doctor, I think they might rather enjoy it.”

“You are a vicious beast,” Riley replied, finding nothing to smile about but then a decade in the Americas had given Cassandra a mean streak. “See to it. Before she dies, I want her to admit to me she killed Randall. He may have been a mad bastard, but he was still my brother.”

* * *

With Zeke and Del keeping an eye on the bushes where Alexandra Styles had withdrawn to relieve herself, Johnny saw Cassandra and Mason approaching him with purpose. Uttering a short bark at both men to keep watch for the woman’s return, he went to deal with their employers. He was not about to let him play her for a fool, if her request for privacy was for anything than what she indicated. Just because he liked her didn’t mean he was stupid enough to trust her.

“Something up?” Johnny asked meeting the fancy folk half way.

Cassandra exchanged a glance with Riley who confirmed his permission for her to act with a nod. “We’ve decided on a change of plans. We’re not taking her to Galveston.”

Judging by the cold look in Cassandra’s eyes, he guessed things were about to take a nasty turn for Runt’s woman. “What have you got in mind?”

This time it was Riley who spoke, deciding he wasn’t going to leave all the dirty work for Cassandra. Besides, he wanted no ambiguity on what he wanted done. “I want her to confess she killed my brother,” he said meeting the outlaw’s eyes with dark intensity. “I want her to tell me before she dies, I want her to beg for forgiveness.”

“She don’t look like the kind to beg,” Johnny remarked, thinking on his brief conversation with the lady. If anything, Runt’s woman looked like she had a lot of spirit and breaking her wouldn’t be as easy as these two might think. “It could take a while.”

“I don’t care,” Riley repeated himself. “If you must make her scream it out loud, do it. I want her confession. I was under the impression from Cassandra you were men who could make this happen. Was she wrong?”

Johnny bristled, straightening up in annoyance which Cassandra saw immediately. While they might have him under their employ, it was wise to remember the man killed for a living and had been known to react badly to being treated like a servant.  

“I’m sure Mr Miller here is more than capable,” she said quickly diffusing the situation. “I believe he is simply mindful how much time it will take.”

“It won’t take that long,” Johnny glanced at Zeke and Del, who were more than capable of making a woman talk if needed.  “You want her to confess, we can do that.”

It appeared Zeke and Del just might get the taste they were wanting. While he didn’t like the idea of killing the woman, it was like he told Runt in Purgatory, it wasn’t personal.

Anything else he was thinking was interrupted by the sound of gunfire.

All three of them immediately ducked at the sounds, with Johnny thinking perhaps Runt had caught up to them after all, but the shots were coming from the river, followed by Del’s enraged shouting.

“YOU GET BACK HERE YOU BITCH!”  

Del’s loud cry attracted the rest of the men to the scene as Johnny ran to meet Zeke.  He arrived just in time to see the lady perched on the rocks, a good distance away. She’d used the cover of the bush to put as much distance between them as she could.  Draped on the bushes where she used to make her demand for privacy, Johnny saw her dress, and petticoat, discarded. Clad in only her under things, with her boots in her grip, she paused long enough to see their approach before jumping. Del squeezed off another round but she had already stepped off the rocks, to plunge into the water rushing by them.

Zeke and Del continued to fire at the frothy water as the doctor disappeared beneath it, with only a brief glimpse of her white underthings visible before the river’s strong current claimed her and swept her beyond their reach, into the night.

“Goddamnit!” Zeke cursed as he saw Johnny approach them, with Cassandra and Riley following close behind.

“How did she get past you?” Riley demanded. “I thought you said these men knew what they were doing!” He aimed his question at Cassandra and immediately saw Zeke stiffening in anger, taking great exception to the man’s tone.

“She was smart!” Zeke snapped, “made sure those bushes kept her out of sight, even when she was getting farther away.”

“Doesn’t matter how,” Johnny growled, giving Cassandra a warning look to rein in Riley’s mouth or money or not, Johnny would do it himself. “She’s heading down river. She can’t stay under for long. We’ll run her down.”

* * *

The cold swallowed her whole, until she could feel its icicles burrowing into her skin like needles. She knew it was pure desperation that drove her to jump into the river but the truth was, Alex was a strong swimmer and knew freed of her cumbersome clothes, she could put a good distance between herself and her captors, with the aid of a strong current.  Thanks to her father allowing Alex to ‘dress native’ in whatever country she and William Styles happened to be visiting at the time, Alex had learned to be quite adept in the water.

When she took her leave of Johnny Miller, she knew what needed to be done. She needed to get away from these men, before they took her across the border where Vin would be forced to come after her.  If she could delay them in anyway, or keep out of their clutches long enough, Alex had faith Vin or Chris Larabee would find her but first, she had to get to the river.

Only in the water, did she have a chance of eluding them. Once there, Alex knew the current was strong enough to give her the speed needed to carry her far enough away from them, to make them rethink their plans. That took time she could use. She left enough of her clothing behind to ensure her movements would be unhindered and laced her boots together because she would need them once she returned to the shore.

Furthermore, Alex also left something for Vin. If he tracked her this far, she was convinced he would find it.

The instant she stepped out from the line of sight of the bushes, she knew they would see her. She started sprinting, now barefoot and unencumbered by layers of clothes. Fortunately, it took them a moment to realise what was happening and even longer to decide if they should shoot. They were meant get her to Galveston alive and it was certainly something that could not be done with a bullet in her back.

The one called Del had given chase but he hadn’t been fast enough to keep her from jumping into the water.  She dove down immediately and started swimming, allowing the powerful current to add more speed to her efforts. Under the waves, their voices were muted but the gunshots were not. She saw bullets whizzing past her as she stayed under for as long as she could, careful to avoid the rocks and boulders on the river bed, through the darkness.  

Until one of the bullets met their mark.  


	9. Confrontation

Riley Marshall and Jay were gone by the time Vin and the others arrived at the embankment at dawn.

The trail had been non-existent until they got past the edge of the dust storm, with Vin picking up the tracks that escaped the harsh winds. It placed them on the main cattle trail to Texas and Vin supposed it made sense Jay might take this route.

Even if they intended to get out of the state fast, there were some realities Jay had to face, such as the need to keep their horses fresh and the imperative of seclusion. Besides, there was no way Alex would sit still and allow herself to be restrained if they got anywhere near a town. To save himself the trouble, he would avoid them altogether.

For the second time in months, Vin Tanner found himself staring at Alex’s dress, the pretty red one she bought in Sweetwater the last time they went there together, discarded on the ground.

He was grateful at least this time, it was not ripped to shreds as if it were torn off her back and there was no animal like Francis Lamont trying to rape her, surrounded by Klansmen. Vin remembered what it was like to find those scraps of fabric in that shack on the Jacobsen property, left on the floor like trash, with no signs of her anywhere. That night, he had prayed to the God he no longer had any faith in for her life and was rewarded. Was a similar gesture needed now?

Vin didn’t think so because this didn’t feel right. The dress was intact, lying in a pile at the base of a wild olive bush, one of the clusters of riparian vegetation framing the fast-moving river only a few feet away, beyond the rocks. It wasn’t just her dress either, there were several layers of undergarments including her corset, lying across the dirt.

“What did those bastards do to her?” Buck demanded, staring at the same scene Vin did. Horrified at the possibility Alex might have been subjected to rape, he felt his guilt at his culpability in this situation ratchet up another notch. Once again, he cursed himself for being taken in by Cassandra Heglund.

“None of these clothes are torn,” Chris pointed out, taking note of how the dress had been cast aside. There was no way the doctor would have cooperated with any violation of her body by undressing for her rapists. She was too proud and wilful for that.

Vin said nothing because his eyes was studying the tracks around the garments, trying to make sense out of them. Suddenly, his eyes glimpsed a handful of leaves near the collection of clothes and dropped to one knee next to them. He knew enough about the land to know leaves didn’t fall that way naturally. Brushing them away, he spotted the fresh mound of earth they concealed.

“What is it Vin?” Chris asked, aware of the tension in the tracker’s gait as Vin examined the space.

“Not sure,” Vin replied, digging his fingers into the soft, damp soil and finding something almost immediately. It was hard and smooth. Clutching it, Vin extracted the object out of the soil and realised immediately what it was. The gold links and the small stones dangling from his hand, was covered in grit but otherwise undamaged.

“This is Alex’s.” Vin stood up and held up the bracelet Vin was convinced Alex left behind for him. “Her Pa gave it to her. She’d never leave it behind unless she knew I’d find it.”

“Smart lady,” Josiah commented standing next to Buck, watching Vin as closely as Chris because like the gunslinger, Josiah knew how Vin felt about Alex and how volatile he could be when there was any danger to her.

Vin surveyed the ground and saw more tracks, they were overlapping each other but experience allowed him to shift through the conflicting indentations and prints. It was the bare footprints that struck him immediately. They were wider spaced, indicating flight and their direction led toward the river’s edge. Vin followed them to the large rock, with only Chris behind him. The gunslinger gestured the others to hold back as he joined Vin on the large boulder. Beneath them, the white water of the river continued to rush by with a loud hiss.

“I think she escaped,” he looked at Chris. “I think she escaped into the river.”

“Can she swim?” Chris asked the obvious question.

Vin had to think. During that ride to Agnes Doherty’s cabin, he remembered her mentioning wanting to take a swim in Whiskey Creek, but did that mean wading around or actual swimming? The question made him study the clothes she left behind again, and suddenly all the disparate pieces of information he had seen so far including what he knew of the woman, came together to form a picture of what had taken place here.

“She can swim,” he stated firmly, not because he knew it for certain but because the clues Alex left behind indicated it. “That’s why she took off her dress. Her shoes ain’t here but she’s barefoot. I think she made a run for the river.” Now he spoke the words out loud, Vin was more certain than ever. “She probably thought it could give her enough distance to keep ahead of them.”

Chris reached the same conclusion when he studied the scene himself. Alex rarely did anything without a plan. Even when he believed she was behaving typically female, she had more than enough ability to surprise him. When she rushed off to save Vin after Randall Mason delivered the tracker to bounty hunters months ago, Chris thought she was insane until they discovered she always had a plan to deal with those men.

“She wouldn’t be wrong about that,” Chris agreed but still, he winced at the ferocity of the river rushing past them and did not like to think Alex taking her chances in those currents. Aside from the jagged rocks jutting along the white water, the river was filled with detritus collected during its journey downstream, with broken branches, rotting leaves and other discarded pieces of flora. There were plenty of ways for her to get hurt if she chose this as her route of escape.

“They’re probably after her now!” Vin exclaimed, hurrying away from the edge. “She can’t stay in there all night. It was mighty cold for her to be wet for all that time.”

Chris followed him closely exchanging glances with the others who were allowing the tracker his space, aware of how worried he was about the doctor.

“Miller and his men will know that. They’re likely skimming the banks to see if they can spot her, “Chris declared, not waiting for Vin who was collecting Alex’s discarded clothes. Secretly, Chris was grateful for Alex’s escape attempt. Any tactic she could employ to delay her kidnappers from reaching the Texas border would keep Vin’s scent away from the Rangers. He couldn’t help wondering if that was her plan all along. It would be just the kind of thing she would do.

Vin said nothing for the moment, gathering the red garment and holding it to his face briefly, capturing the light whiff of her perfume clinging to the fabric. He used her scent to centre his mind on what was at stake. After a second, he saw the others already mounting their horses and hurried to join them.

 _Hang on Doc_ , he thought quietly to himself, _I’m coming_.

* * *

At least she couldn’t feel the pain any more.

After spending most of the night in the river, she didn’t think she would ever know warmth again but so far, remaining mostly submerged had kept her hidden. Her white under things were so covered in mud, they were now a mottled grey, allowing her to hide amongst the clusters of fallen logs and branches that ran along the river.

Despite her state however, Alex ensured she left a trail of breadcrumbs for Vin to find. Tearing of pieces of fabric from her clothing, she left scraps of it, usually stuffed between rocks or buried under fresh mounds of earth because Alex knew he’d be able to see it. From what Chris and the rest of the seven often claimed, Vin was the best tracker in the Territory. If she left something behind for him, he’d find it. Her love for him was coupled with a faith as strong and she believed he would find her if she could just hold out.

Right now, however, it was the blood that concerned her. She was bleeding badly and her efforts to staunch the wound with the makeshift bandage did little to help the injury. The only thing keeping her from descending into shock was the bleeding slowed by the temperature of the river. Each time she emerged to plant her clues for Vin to find, she could feel its creep threatening to rob her of her faculties, or worse yet consciousness.

Alex had been hiding under what appeared to be an abandoned beaver dam, running across the width of the river. The structure was crumbling but left behind enough cover for Alex to remain hidden beneath it while she rested. However, with the amount of sediments, insects and God only knew what was floating in the water, and no doubt into the bullet wound, she was in danger of infection. It was bad enough she was hit in the abdomen and knew if she didn’t get treatment, she may well die of septic shock.

Moving slowly across the dwindling height of the water as she approached the embankment, she almost sobbed out loud at the pain. The lower half of her chemise had been sacrificed to make a bandage, but it was sodding wet and she could see the stain of blood spread over the filthy fabric. Groaning in pain as she clutched her side, she felt dizzy as she got to the shore. She’d lost her shoes despite her best efforts to hang onto them and climbed onto the muddy shore barefoot.

Alex was panting, aware she was in shock, even if the icy cold night had managed to stave it off. She took a moment to rest at the shoreline, trying to take stock of where she was. Deciding they were probably scouring the river’s edge to find her, she realised she was going to have to get to the other side to keep them off her trail. She hadn’t seen a crossing but that didn’t mean Riley and his men weren’t determine to dismount and come after her on foot. If they did that, she could not outrun them. Her plan of escaped had hinged on not being shot.

But not only was she shot, she was certain her injury was an abdominal one. Not a stomach wound, but she estimated an intestine had been nicked. Suddenly, she heard horses and sat bolt upright once more, searching the tree line for them. She didn’t have long to wait and was on her feet almost instantly, catching sight of three riders breaking through the branches and leaves to approach the embankment. She sighted Riley, Johnny and the man called Zeke.

Just as she saw them, they saw her. Alex scrambled to her feet, clutching her side as she dashed back into the river, determine to make it to the other side at least.

“Doctor Styles!” She heard Riley shouting after her. “Don’t make this any harder than it has to be!”

She ignored him, not about to fall under his power again. The prolonged bleeding from the bullet wound was sapping her strength and she knew she had to regain some distance before she succumbed to it completely. As it was, she could feel the pains in her chest and the sweat against her skin, even though she ought to be shivering with cold. Splashing into the water, she jumped when she heard the exploding sound of a gun being fired.

Alex did not look over her shoulder to see which of the men had fired the weapon, knowing only that the bullet passed over her shoulder. She felt it whizzing by her skin and realised how close she had come to being hit again. Hoofbeats thundering behind her told Alex one of them was attempting to reach her on horseback. Uttering a frustrated cry because the pain prevented her from moving any faster, her situation was not helped by the slowing of the current in this part of the river.

It was Zeke who tackled her from the saddle of his horse. Guiding the animal into the water, he jumped off and landed on her hard.

“Where are you going bitch!”

He tackled her in one movement, sending them both into the river. With his weight landing on top of her, she sank all the way to the bottom, her head submerged as she felt water rush into her mouth and nose. With pain wracking her body, she was too slow to recover because the next thing she knew, his fingers were in her hair dragging her to her feet. Alex uttered a soft cry of pain followed by a louder one when he threw a punch into her stomach.

“Give us any more trouble and you’ll get more of that!” He shouted, anger in his voice, most likely because she escaped under his watch and probably endured some repercussions because of it.

The pain was so intense, she could not move, and Alex doubled over paralysed, clutching her stomach. Zeke’s fingers dug into her scalp as he dragged her out of the water towards Riley and Johnny on the shore. She was in a sorry state, clad in her under things, her midriff showing her wound, while the rest of her was covered in mud from head to foot. Alex looked up and saw Johnny’s stormy face, and he supposed he was going to make her pay for taking advantage of his good will.

“Well Doctor,” Riley stared at her from astride his horse, taking her dishevelled state with some amusement. “Just what do you think you achieved with this action?”

Alex didn’t speak at first, she was trying to remain standing, despite Zeke’s fingers in her hair, holding her up. She clutched her bandaged side and more blood oozed past the stained fabric. Without the cold water slowing the bleeding, she was feeling everything now and it was starting to make her feel disorientated. The shock she managed to avoid most of the night was coming down on her like a ton of bricks.

“I got you to slow down didn’t I?”” She eyed him defiantly.

“And got yourself shot doing it,” Johnny pointed out, staring at her hard. “Don’t seem all that smart.”

“Oh, she’s highly intelligent,” Riley said with a hint of smugness, wanting to break through that defiant expression on her face. “Too intelligent for her own good. She’s convinced me taking her back to England is a bad idea, so she’s going to die here.”

“Do it then!” Alex challenged him, aware of something he wasn’t. She was in shock and soon, she was going to be beyond anything he might try to do to her. “I’m already dying. This is an abdominal wound and unless either of you fools know how to do a transfusion, I don’t like my chances. At least, I’ll die without having to deal with any more pathetic members of the Mason family. You’re all like dogs with a bone.”

Riley jumped off his horse at the insult and strode towards her. Without saying another word, he punched her across the jaw, tearing her hair away from Zeke’s hand so she fell to the ground with a clump of it still in the man’s fist. He was furious even now, even while she was bedraggled and muddy, about to die, she still maintained her defiance.

“Don’t you talk about my family, you bitch!” Riley snapped, watching the lady fall to the muddy embankment. “Because of you Randall went mad! You’re a half breed outcast, no decent man would ever touch! You should have been grateful my brother wanted you! Instead you rejected him for what? A nothing drifter, without a penny to his name!”

“Yeah” Alex nodded, turning her head just enough to look at Riley. “I rather have a nothing drifter than a pathetic aristocrat who has to resort to kidnapping to get a woman. How could you expect me to love your brother when all I could feel for him was disgust and pity?”

The boot that landed in her stomach made Alex cough blood. She was starting to get disorientated when she heard him hiss in her ear.

“Before I’m done with you, you’re going to feel quite a bit. You’ll beg to tell me the truth.”

* * *

Alex left him breadcrumbs.

After the discovery Alex escaped her kidnappers, they followed the river, pausing every so often because Vin realised Alex was leaving him a trail. While he was certain he’d missed a few during the search, he discovered enough of them to realise she was trying to help him find her. She knew he could read the land well enough to know what mound of earth was dug up by human hands and what was not. Such differences were easy enough to spot and every time, he found a fresh scrap, he let out a sigh of relief.

Until he realised she was leaving him another trail, one she was probably unaware of herself. Blood.

There was blood on the ground. Not a lot to be immediately noticeable by anyone other than him but it was there nonetheless. At almost every place they stopped, he saw it and seeing it made his heart clenched. The flow was steady, and it had not stopped despite the distance they covered along the river. Worse yet, she had been using the river to stay ahead of Marshall and Johnny. Yet the blood was still flowing, even though she had been in the cold water. Had she been shot while trying to escape?

“Vin, we’ll find her,” Chris assured him after Vin dismounted to fish out the latest clue Alex had left behind for him. This one hadn’t been as subtle as the others, a scrap of white cloth, clinging to a broken branch lying against the rocks at the river’s edge. Chances were Miller might have seen this too, but then that was always the risk.

“She’s bleeding bad Chris,” Vin spoke as he clutched the bloody fabric in his hands.

Chris tensed, wishing they had been able to wait for Nathan to get back from Eagle Bend before leaving Four Corners. However, if they did that, the gap between them and Alex’s abductors would have been widened even further and at the time, they could not afford it. Not if the lawmen wanted to catch up to them before they reached the Texas border. Alex bought them time with her escape, halting their progress by making them search the river. The gunslinger had to admire the lady for staying ahead of the enemy, obviously having picked up some things from Vin since they began their love affair, but it was distance she was paying for in blood.

“But she’s a doctor,” JD spoke up, seeing the distress in Vin’s eyes as he climbed back into the saddle. “She’d know how to fix herself up right?”

“Depends on how badly she was hit,” Josiah drawled, seeing the same worry on the tracker’s face.

“Alex is tough,” Buck stated firmly, always the optimist, even more so now because the possibility his relationship with Cassandra might result in Alex’s death was than he could stand.

Vin didn’t answer because he knew just how much blood loss there was, and it was no small wound Alex was suffering. She hadn’t managed to stem the flow from where she had escaped until now. It meant it was a little bit more than a flesh wound and he feared what state she’d be in when he finally caught up to her. The idea he might lose Alex even if he did rescue her, filled Vin with such terror he could barely think. All he could do was to shove fear into someplace deep because he had no time to deal with it now.

Vin climbed back into the saddle, having shoved the scrap of cloth into his pocket, joining the other bits he had found on route here. He didn’t know why he was keeping them but couldn't bring himself to throw them away either.

Then he heard the gunshot.

All five men exchanged furious glances with each other as the shot shattered the silence of the morning air, the way only something unnatural could do in such a rustic setting. There were two shots, the first had surprised them but the second told them exactly how far away it was, and which direction to go.

“It came from further down the river!” Chris exclaimed meeting Vin’s gaze. He no sooner said those words before they dug their heels into their mounts and the quintet of horses broke into a furious gallop.

Vin didn’t know what those shots were but if any other bullet harmed Alex, God help the son of a bitch that pulled the trigger.

* * *

Johnny Miller stood watching impassively as Riley Marshall stood over Runt’s woman, Alexandra Styles and with Del and Zeke’s help, prepared to exact his vengeance over his brother’s death. Around them, the rest of his men were gathered on the embankment of the river where they had recaptured the woman, watching the proceedings with interest. Cassandra stood next to him, her expression glacial as she watched the doctor bleeding against the dirt, staring at Riley with stubbornness that would no doubt have pissed off the Englishman because what the man wanted to see was fear.

Johnny was certain he wasn’t going to get that.

There was something in her eyes, almost manic. The fierce determination to keep her head up no matter what they did to her was impressive. Johnny could see the blood pulsing beneath the filthy bandage she wrapped around her waist to stop the bleeding and knew whatever Del’s bullet had done, it was bad. She knew she was hurt and possibly wasn’t long for this world. He had to admire her for wanting to go out with her head held high. Hell knows he’d do the same.

“You okay with this?” Johnny asked Cassandra next to him.

Cassandra would prefer they just killed the woman, but Riley needed his confession to justify the action he was taking against the doctor was deserved. She had no thoughts on the matter really. Randall was an obsessive fool who finally went after someone who wouldn’t tolerate his behaviour. He deserved what happened to him, but she was here because Riley wanted vengeance and since she was being well paid as an intermediary, she cared little beyond that.

“She’s a half caste murderer,” Cassandra shrugged, “and I don’t care what he does as long as I get paid.” She turned her gaze at him. “Do you?”

“No,” Johnny replied promptly. “Not at all. This isn’t personal.” He repeated himself and wished he didn’t feel this gnawing in his gut at breaking faith with the brotherhood of misery, he’d forged with Runt in that goddamned state orphanage.

Meanwhile Alex was disorientated from more than just the blows Del seemed to enjoy inflicting on her while Riley continued to shout at her, demanding a confession. She was well into shock now, noticing a dozen symptoms attached to the condition, to know if she didn’t get treatment soon, she’d die.

“Tell me Doctor!” Riley slapped her again and Alex’s head snapped back, hardly feeling it.

“She’s spirited,” Del grinned at Zeke. “I can make her talk if that’s what you want Mr Marshall.” The lascivious gleam in his eyes made his intention plain.

Riley did not like this idea, but he was furious at seeing her defiance. So far, the beatings had done little to move her and he realised a more intimate assault might be necessary. He wanted this odious task done with, so he could get back to his life but before he killed the woman, his own conscience demanded to know he was right, that she had indeed killed Randall.

“Do what you have to do,” Riley turned away, not wishing to see it. “But I want to hear her tell the truth.”

Alex’s eyes shot to Del whose hands were already moving towards his belt buckle. She recognised the gleam in his eyes and suddenly knew dying was not on the table anymore, not yet anyway. Her eyes widened as she saw the leer in Zeke’s eyes, indicating, he would take his turn right after Del. She was on the ground but that prompted her to move, to get away before this got any worse.

“Come on Doctor,” Del reached for her leg, “now we can play.”

The words, which were the same Francis Lamont had used on her, penetrated her stubborn demeanour far more effectively than anything Riley had so far threatened her with. It snapped her control and she tried to scramble away on her hands and knees, only to have the man grab her ankle and drag her back to him. Kicking and screaming, Alex clawed at the sand, determined to prevent this awful thing from happening to her.

“GET AWAY FROM ME!” She screamed.

She didn’t get far when a boot came down on her spine, forcing her to land on her stomach, while she was pinned against the pebbled ground. “Not so fast doctor,” Zeke sneered. “We ain’t done with you yet. You got a confession to make.”

Alex uttered another cry of pain, warm blood pulsing out of the wound at that action. She was starting to black out.

“What words?” Alex finally grunted, looking over her shoulder at Riley standing next to Zeke, watching the proceedings even though it was clear he had no taste for this, but was determined to see it through nonetheless. Well she wasn’t going to make it easy for him. “That I killed Randall? Let me think. No, I didn’t kill him.”

Riley’s face showed his disbelief immediately and he nodded at Del, whose sneer at being allowed to do his worst split his face in half. As Riley and Zeke stepped back to let him get down to business, Del started dragging her towards him again, his wrists clamped on her ankles. Panic filled Alex and she finally decided to let Riley have what he so desperately wanted.

“I didn’t kill him!” She spat and then added with an almost sadistic smile. “The embalming did that.”

Riley’s eyes widened, and he pushed past Del to hover over her, grabbing her hair so she was forced to look at him. “What do you mean?”

The disorientation, the exhaustion, not to mention the pain, had finally snapped Alex’s desire to remain silent and she decided if he wanted the truth, so be it. If she was going to die, she was going to give Riley Marshall all the truth he wanted. Let him sleep well after that.

Smiling at him, her teeth stained with blood, Alex looked almost savage as she gave him a sinister smile. “I dosed him with curare. You know what that is? It’s the same drug South American Indians use to hunt. All they have to do is shoot a dart into the animal and sit back and watch. In seconds, it starts to paralyse them, so they can’t even move. Oh, they’re still alive but they can’t do anything, not even blink. Their heart rate is so slow, you would think they were dead.”

“Jesus,” She heard Zeke say next to Riley.

Interested in her confession, Johnny and Cassandra left their spectator positions and approached them, wanting to hear the doctor’s final words because she would certainly die after her confession.

“After he shot me in the back,” Alex spoke loudly, letting her eyes move not to Riley but to the gunmen watching, because in the Territory, there wasn’t a much lower act than shooting another man in the back. If she was going to admit to murdering Randall, she would have them know what kind of man he was. “I paid him a little visit in jail. He told me your family would get him out of trouble, even after he tried to kill me, my fiancé, a village full of people. No matter what, your connections would get him off.”

“Just get to it!” Riley barked, noticing the disgust seeping into the eyes of the men around him. While they would do nothing to jeopardise their payday, he could see the standing of his cause decreasing rapidly in their eyes.

“He wasn’t ever going to stop,” Alex continued. “He was going to keep coming back until one of us was dead. Your brother had become rabid and I decided to put him down. It's what you do to a dog.”

He slapped her again, but Alex was too weak to care. She raised her head and looked at him, her glare icy. “When I offered him my hand, he was actually stupid enough to take it. Once I had him, I put enough curare in him to make sure he couldn’t move a muscle. I’m a very good doctor you know, I knew how much to give him to make sure he didn’t register a heartbeat. When they took him away to the undertaker,” she smiled, “he was still alive.”

“Fuck,” she heard Del hiss. “You mean he was alive when they were cutting him up?”

“Alive and awake for everything.”

Riley moved to strike her again, but Alex kept speaking. “Randall killed my father, taking away from me the only person I loved because he refused to give Randall his blessing for my hand! I was never going to let Randall get away with that! I was not going to live looking over my shoulder, waiting for him to murder Vin or any children we might have, because that was what your brother was reduced to by the time I put him down, and you know what? For what he did to my father, I wanted him to scream and I hope he did, right until the moment they gutted him!”

The horror of her words made Riley’s throat go dry and the fear and agony Randall must have endured in his last moments of life made him turn immediately to Zeke who was standing next to him. He snatched the man’s gun out of Zeke’s holster and aimed it straight at her face, prepared to shoot her dead where she stood.

He never got a chance to pull the trigger because no sooner than he’d taken aim, Zeke’s chest exploded outwards, spraying him in blood.

* * *

It took every ounce of strength Vin Tanner possessed when he and the lawmen of Four Corners finally closed in on Alex, to not react to seeing Riley taking his fists to her. There were at least five men surrounding her, not including Riley and the woman Cassandra. He saw Jay standing there, watching the woman he loved being brutalised, covered in mud and blood, looking as if she was at the end of her rope. He thought she’d looked terrible when he and Buck fished her out of that well, but it was nothing compared to seeing her like this.

From the crimson soaked bandage she made, using a strip of cloth torn from her undergarment, Vin could tell where she was hit, and it was as bad as he feared. He needed to get her to Nathan quickly, if it was not already too late. It wasn’t just her injury though, it was the look in her eyes. He’d never seen her look that way before. Her eyes were black with fury. For a minute she didn’t look too different from Chris, after the gunslinger learned about Fowler and what the man had done to Sarah and Adam.

Alex had always clung to her doctor’s oath to do no harm and learning she killed Randall, no matter how much it was justified, surprised him. However, hearing for himself, the details of her final confrontation with Randall Mason, Vin understood why she reacted as she had. It wasn’t just about Randall’s murder of William Styles, it was also about him and their future together.

While he knew Alex was his soulmate from the moment he met her, and every day after that had been an odyssey of pain, because she had given her affections to Ezra first, Vin’s thoughts about Alex had never progressed beyond wanting to be with her. Even after their love had become a mutual affair, what lay between them remained unspoken. He assumed there was no need for it because they loved each other and whatever happened would unfold with time.

It never occurred to Vin, Alex saw their future together as man and wife as early as their first night together. When they got engaged, he assumed it was done to keep silent the wagging tongues in Four Corners after that whole business with Nicholas Serfonteine. Vin never realised she was waiting for him to solidify their relationship because she already saw him as the father of her children. It made him a little ashamed after sharing her bed for months, he had taken so long to formalise their relationship

Chris could see Vin fighting the urge to react and kept the man in place, by keeping a hand securely clamped over the tracker’s shoulder. Buck and the others were spreading out stealthily across the area, trying to find the best place for cover when the shooting started, and they put the outlaws out there in a crossfire. Even so, none of them would react until he gave the signal which had only one flaw, keeping Vin under control. The man could be downright savage when it came to Alex and Chris was probably the only one who could restrain him.

Still, Chris could understand Vin’s difficulty as he saw what Alex was enduring and in what condition she was presently in. They had held back from riding in shooting to keep Alex from getting hurt but looking at her current state, he knew it wouldn't make that much difference. Nevertheless, listening to her words to Riley did make him smile inwardly, at how perfectly exquisite her justice to Randall Mason had been. While he guessed by the tic in Vin’s jaw, her revelation about Randall’s threat of relentless pursuit bothered the tracker, Chris understood perfectly.

For years, Ella Gaines had lain in the shadows like a serpent in the dark, waiting for the right moment to spring. Chris never had any idea of the danger she represented, having dismissed her as an old love he left behind in the past. The cost of that assumption was losing Sarah and Adam in a fiery death. Whether or not Alex was using him as an example of what might be if Randall wasn’t dealt with, Chris could not say, but he could surely understand why she would kill him. While nothing about murder was ever rational, Alex’s decision was nothing but logical.

Unfortunately, it was an argument lost on Riley because the instant the man went for his gun, Chris knew their time had run out.

Vin reacted first, putting down the man who stood between him and Riley. Zeke, he recalled and fired the rifle once and in Vin’s case, one shot was all that was needed. The man’s chest became a spray of blood covering Riley as Zeke sank to his knees, dead before he even hit the dirt. No sooner than he fired the weapon, he took aim at Riley, even as Jay’s men scattered for cover, with the leader of the gang, searching the tree line for the source of the shot.

It didn’t matter because this was the opportunity Buck, Josiah and JD used to open fire, their bullets coming from the opposite direction. Next to him, Chris’s peacemaker fired, ending Del with a single bullet to the head. It was a shot the gunslinger was happy to deliver with brutal precision, especially after what the scum had intended to do to Alex. Riley dove for the ground the instant Vin fired again, convinced and rightly so, the next bullet fired would be for him. Still clutching Zeke’s gun, he scrambled towards Alex.

“Chris!” Vin called out, seeing the man closing in on the woman he loved, still on the ground. “Cover me!”

“Vin!” Chris snapped, knowing that the area was too open for Vin to make a run for Alex. Of course, he also knew if it was Mary, he’d be doing the same thing. “Just keep your goddamn head down!”

“Always pard,” Vin cast him a glance and ran out.

* * *

  
When Alex saw Zeke die, she knew Vin had come.

Knowing he was out there and not just him, but Chris and the others too, Alex knew she had to move. There was pain everywhere, but she had to get out of the line of fire so Vin and the seven could do what was necessary. With reserves she did not think she possessed, she got to her feet, her adrenaline surging with explosion of gunfire. She saw Riley starting to recover and knew he’d come after her because like his brother, he was obsessed.

Clutching her wounded side, Alex started to run, heading towards the bushes she could see nearby, intending to lose herself in the vegetation. Once in the woods, Vin would be able to track her with little trouble.

“You’re not getting away that easily!” Riley closed the distance, the gun aimed in her direction as he came forward. Alex didn’t care, she wasn’t going to stop running until she got to the tree line.

When he fired, she was weaving across the ground, determined to make it difficult for him, even though she was gasping in agony, her hand pressed against her side like she was suffering a bad cramp instead of a gunshot wound. Uttering a soft cry as the bullet grazed her thigh, Alex kept going ignoring the burning heat against her flesh that made her eyes water. Still, the pain gave her some measure of clarity and she saw the woods that were maddeningly close, even as Riley shouted after her, demanding that she stop.

Reaching the shrubbery, she hoped she could lose him in the bushes and trees, but as her bare feet crushed rotting leaves and twigs on the ground, she could hear him behind her and her strength was giving out. Suddenly, she slid on a slight ditch of mud and went tumbling down, landing so hard on her side the agony almost made her pass out. Curling up into a ball, she hugged her knees in pain only to see Riley come up to her, with gun brandished, ready to fire.

“It’s time you paid for your sins doctor.”

* * *

Cassandra Heglund knew when to cut and run. When she saw the first man go down and the bullets erupting from the bushes, she knew it was time to leave. The doctor’s gamble to delay them had obviously worked because this ambush could only be the result of Buck’s friends tracking them down. As Johnny barked orders at his men to act, she ran for the wagon that awaited beyond the shore, on the other side of the tree line.

Keeping her head down, she left behind the hail of bullets traded by the two camps and noted another one of Johnny’s men hitting the dirt. Del, she recognised. The man collapsed onto the dirt where what was left of his brain matter soaked into the shore. Her stomach hollowed as she disappeared into the trees, searching for the trail through the length of the tall, thin tree trunks that covered much of this country.

Lifting her skirts like the lady she was, she trudged across the damp soil and rotted leaves, the sound of gunfire growing distant as she crossed the terrain to make her escape. Her wagon was just in sight when suddenly, she heard a tree branch snap behind her, followed by the slow cock of a gun.

"I ain’t never shot a lady, but I’m willing to make today a first,” Buck Wilmington said coldly.

Cassandra let out a heavy sigh, like a child who’d gotten caught and knew she was going to have to face the music. She turned around with a little sigh, trying to decide how to play this. She knew something of the man and was fairly convinced she could extricate herself from this situation if she appealed to his affection.

“Buck, you have to understand this wasn’t personal,” she said taking a step backwards.

“Don’t,” he warned, more than accustomed to women who employed the feminine arts to get what they wanted. He’d spent enough time in the company of Julia Pemberton to know the technique. He only wished he had seen through Cassandra earlier. After much reflection, Buck knew she had been playing him the instant she realised who he was and what his affiliation was to Alex.

“What we shared, it meant something to me.” She insisted.

“I’m sure it did,” he said with utter scepticism. “It meant you got all the information you needed about Alex, not to mention about my friends so you could stage your little ambush.”

He thought about Ezra’s injuries, the death of Wallis the stagecoach driver, a good man he liked and of course, the scene they happened upon when they finally caught up to Alex. Like Vin, it had taken every ounce of restraint he had to not rush out there and shoot Riley down like a dog for what he was doing to Alex. Nothing incensed Buck more than seeing a man beat on a woman, to say nothing of one who was his friend. Alex was his friend and one of the finest people he knew. She was also the love of one of his best friends and Buck did not take kindly to anyone treating his friends that way.

“Buck, that’s my job. I collect information, I can’t be held accountable for what it’s used for can I?” She started to back away slowly, keeping him talking as she widened the gap between them, confident he had enough feeling for her to not pull the trigger. Cassandra could see the hurt in his eyes and knew she could play on that affection to make her escape.

“Ms Heglund,” Buck said formally, “I wouldn’t take another step if I were you.”

“Ms Heglund?” She smiled at him, doing it anyway. “You didn’t call me that when we were alone together.”

“You hadn’t gotten around to trying to kill me and my friends yet,” he returned just as smoothly, aware she would probably try to switch tactics once she realised her words were not going to sway him. “One more warning is all you get Ms Heglund.” He cocked the gun.

“You don’t...”

Before she could finish the sentence, he pulled the trigger. The bullet flew past her and struck the bark of the trunk of the aspen behind her. It drove into the wood, creating a tan chip in the surface as splinters flew out in all directions. Cassandra reacted with a startled cry of fright at the abruptness of it all and she stared at him with shock when the ringing in her ears subsided.

“You were saying?” Buck asked.

“It wasn’t all a lie,” she admitted with a sigh, conceding defeat at the realisation she was going nowhere. “I did like you, but I had a job to do, and you were useful.” For some reason, Cassandra felt the need to explain. She saw the emotion in his eyes and realised he had cared for her and to her surprise, she felt it affecting. “It was beautiful, what it was but I think we both knew it for what it was, didn’t we?”

“Maybe I did,” Buck couldn’t deny that, “but that still don’t change how this is going to go.”

“And how is it going to go?” Cassandra stared at him, watching him approach and knew there would be no talking her way out of it because his hurt had made him unmovable.

“With you in jail for what you’ve done,” Buck reached her and jammed the gun in her side. “Now move it. I ain’t gonna kill you Cassie, but you are going to do as I tell you one way or another.”

Cassandra frowned, realising he was far stronger than she gave him credit and was going to come undone for the presumption. “This isn’t over between us you know Buck.” She said as he nudged her forward towards her wagon. They would need the buckboard for Alex.

“Probably not, but that’s another day. Get moving.”

* * *

Johnny saw Cassandra take off as soon as the shooting started and was hardly surprised. The kind of woman she was, made her extremely predictable. Johnny for his part, ran for cover, finding concealment in a boulder so slight, he practically had to get on his knees to take advantage of it. With gunfire exploding in three different directions around them, Johnny knew he and his men were in trouble. As it was, he could see Zeke and Del bleeding into the ground, both very much dead.

The emergence of Runt from the bushes, taking after Marshall who was running the doctor down, told Johnny Runt’s gang had them surrounded and caught in a crossfire. With virtually no cover on this embankment and Runt’s men having the advantage, Johnny had a pretty good idea they would continue shooting until he and his gang were picked off one by one. Furthermore, it was likely he and his men weren’t getting paid for their troubles now the lawmen had caught up to them.

This job hadn’t felt right since Johnny learned about Runt’s part in it. Not to mention, the more Johnny listened to Runt’s woman talk about this Mason fella, the more he found himself admiring her. Instead of letting this bastard come after her, she’d taken care of him and quite nicely too. Once the money was taken off the table, Johnny’s opinions became his own again and right now, he had no wish to die when he wasn’t even going to get paid for it.

Thinking quickly, he weighed his options. Johnny Miller was a survivor and he had done so by learning to be pragmatic when making decisions, devoid of pride or emotion. When he attacked, he did so for a reason, letting nothing hold him back to reach his end, not even morality. They could fight it out, but Riley Marshall was no match for Runt and went Runt came out of those bushes, the man would be madder than hell. Having been on the other end of that fury once before, Johnny knew he had no wish to tangle with Runt’s rage.

In fact, the best solution right now, was a rather easy choice to make.

“HOLD YOUR FIRE!” He shouted, not just at Runt’s men but to what remained of his own. Only Campos and Rebbi were still standing, the others were dead, their bodies riddled with bullets, while their blood stained the pebbled embankment. “Campos! Rebbi! Hold your fire!”

The shooting tapered off with that command and Campos, hidden behind a log, riddled with bullets, his clothes covered with wood dust and splinters, raised his head just enough to meet Johnny’s eyes to make sure he had heard right. “What?”

“You heard me!” Johnny repeated. “We ain’t dying for nothing. You hear me, we ain’t getting paid and I ain’t fighting for free! You want to die for that?”

Another voice entered the conversation, and this was a voice Johnny did not know, filled with calm deliberation. “Drop your guns and no one else has to die.”

The man who stepped out of the trees with supreme confidence, his peacemaker held steady in front of him, was someone Johnny recognised immediately as one you didn’t take lightly. With a flash of insight, Johnny suddenly realised the enemy weren’t Runt’s men, but those of this black garbed gunslinger in front of him. This stranger with the icy blue eyes who exuded menace and a warning with his hard stare, would not hesitate to bring this gunfight to a bloody end if Johnny didn’t capitulate right this minute.

Johnny thought for a moment, it might be damn interesting to face this man on more even ground but right now this wasn’t it.

“Tell you what,” Johnny proposed instead, standing up from behind the boulder, so he and the man in black could meet each other eye to eye. Like the gunslinger, Johnny had his own Remington aimed in his direction. “This whole thing is becoming a might more trouble than it’s worth and I ain’t got no loyalty to Mr Marshall, especially when it don’t look like we’re getting paid for the men we’ve lost. Seems to me, we might be able to reach an understanding.”

The instant Miller ordered his men to stop shooting, Chris guessed he was attempting to extricate himself from this situation without losing any more of his gang or his life, if it could be avoided. Chris wanted an end to the fighting because they could not afford to waste time. Alex was hurt, and she needed a doctor herself, once Vin caught up to her and Marshall out there in the woods. Whether Riley Marshall would need the same treatment was another thing entirely because Vin tended to react with extreme violence to those who dared to put a hand to his lady.

“It’s possible,” Chris spoke up. “I think it might be easier on everyone if you and your men got on your horses and start riding out of the Territory. I hear the senoritas in Mexico are pretty accommodating at this time of the year.” He remarked, aware both Josiah and JD had their guns aimed at Miller during this palaver.

Johnny regarded the gunslinger with a faint smile, “I reckon they are.”

With that, he lowered the barrel of the gun and made a gesture of conciliation before sheathing the weapon back in its holster. “We’re taking Del and Zeke with us,” he glanced at the dead men lying across the ground. “Give ‘em a proper burial.”

“We won’t stop you,” Chris nodded at them to proceed, “but anyone of you try anything stupid,” he gestured to Campos and Rebbi, “and you’ll be dead before you know you’ve screwed up.”

“I reckon that’s fair,” Johnny nodded at his remaining men, “Come on boys. Let’s get out of here.”

Neither Campos nor Rebbi appeared as if they liked the idea of tucking tail and running but recognised how untenable their situation had become. Showing their agreement with slight nods, they obeyed Johnny begrudgingly before making a move towards their fallen comrades. This fight wasn’t worth it, and they weren’t prepared to die today for nothing. Rebbi went to grab Del while Campos did the same for Zeke, lifting the man over his shoulders and dragging his body off the embankment, all the while with the gunslinger’s peacemaker watching their every move.

As Johnny prepared to leave, he said finally to the man in black. “Tell Runt, it wasn’t personal, and I’ll see him again sometime soon.”

Chris’s eyes narrowed at that, uncertain whether or not a threat was implied but replied coolly nonetheless. “We’ll be waiting.”

* * *

Alex stared at the barrel of the gun as Riley Marshall stood over her.

Aside from the fact she was in shock, probably bleeding to death and covered in bruises and cuts from a night spent in the river, Alex found it funny, it was the sprained ankle she noticed the most. Keeping her eyes fixed on him, she refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her frightened. Sitting in the mud, staring up at him, she was too tired to move and frankly, too exhausted to care anymore.

“If you’re going to kill me,” she glared at him. “Get it over with but you’re not going to hear me say I’m sorry. Your brother was a rabid dog and I did the world a favour by putting him down.”

“Well, I’ll be happy to do the same for you,” he cocked the gun and was about to fire when suddenly something twirled through the air and struck the man in his arm. Riley uttered a cry of pain as the knife was driven into his bicep, the shock of it making him squeeze the trigger but the shot went wild. Alex ducked in reaction but where the bullet ended up was anyone’s guess. Instead, she saw the familiar hilt of a knife sticking out of the man’s flesh.

Alex quickly looked to where the blade originated, and saw Vin bursting out of the bushes, heading towards Riley, who despite the pain, saw the tracker’s approach and tried to take aim. Without thinking twice, Alex kicked out suddenly, the ball of her foot connecting with his ankle and throwing Riley off balance before he could squeeze the trigger. It was just enough delay to allow Vin to close the distance.

Not giving Riley the chance to try again, Vin leapt forward and downed the man in a full body tackle, toppling Riley to the ground. The force of his attack made the foreigner lose his grip on the gun and it went flying, landing soundlessly against the soft ground, covered in mud and leaves. Vin did not care much for where exactly it was, only that it was out of Riley’s reach. Besides, Vin wasn’t going to need a gun to deal with him. Not after what he had seen the man do to Alex. Rolling onto his knees while Riley was still reeling from the attack, not to mention the pain caused by the knife sticking out of his arm, Vin slammed a fist against his jaw, snapping the man’s head backwards.

“How about you try beating on someone who can fight back?” Vin growled before throwing a second punch, this one, shattering Riley’s nose, sending spurts of blood across the man’s face and against his knuckles.

Clutching his bloody nose with one hand, Riley managed to throw a punch back at the lawman, who bent backwards to avoid the strike, giving him just enough time to get to his knees before Vin Tanner attacked again. Blood was running down his arm, leaving droplets against the damp leaves as he saw the enemy close in with nothing less than murder in his eyes.

Intending the man to feel as much pain as he inflicted on the woman he loved, Vin closed the narrow space between himself and Riley. This time, Vin avoided the formality of throwing a punch and simply grabbed the hilt of the knife still protruding from Riley’s arm. He twisted the blade hard, forcing a scream of pain from Riley before tearing it from the man’s flesh with a vicious yank. While Riley was gripped in agony over that action, Vin grabbed him by his jacket and pulled him forward, slamming his forehead against Riley’s skull, this time sending the man to the ground, flat on his back.

Vin had every intention of beating the man senseless when suddenly a single gunshot stopped both men in their tracks. The bullet hit the ground next to Riley’s head, causing leaves and mud to splatter against the foreigner. Riley clutched his ear at the sound, ears probably ringing from the loud bang. Both men turned towards Alex, who was standing a few feet away from them, with the gun in her shaking hands. Her eyes were glazed, appearing as if she couldn’t focus. She looked ready to drop.

Forgetting all about Marshall, Vin got to his feet immediately, the fist of rage gripping his mind a moment ago, giving way to concern as he saw the state she was in. Frankly, he was amazed she was still standing. Despite her horrific condition, there was something in her eyes, black and unreadable that made him uneasy. The way she was aiming that disconcerting glare at Riley had enough power to make him forget about the man and go to Alex. 

Coming up alongside of her, he covered her shaking hands with his, trying to give her comfort in the manner he had done some months ago, when he unwittingly won her heart without ever realising it. “Alex, honey, let me have the gun.”

The sound of his voice seemed to register in her ears then, dispelling the cold mask on her face to one filled with relief. She relaxed her grip of the weapon and looked up at him, eyes brimming with emotion when she saw those familiar cobalt coloured eyes. “I knew you’d find me,” she said with a small smile.

“You’re my woman ain’t you?” he kissed her forehead gently, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, while keeping the gun trained on Riley, daring the man to move.

“Always cowboy,” she leaned into him, his warmth against her body making the pain feel just a little less. “Always.”


	10. Worth Waiting For

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kind comments and support in the writing of this story. This has been my first Magnificent Seven storiy in 17 years. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Once he was sure Miller and his gang were gone, Chris Larabee went in search of Vin and Alex. It didn’t take the gunslinger long to find the couple shrouded within the woods flanking the river. Despite himself, Chris was relieved to see Riley Marshall, or more accurately Riley Mason, still in one piece when he reached the place of their final confrontation. Considering Vin’s extreme reaction to anyone who harmed Alex, Riley was lucky to still have his head attached to his body, even if he didn’t entirely escape Vin’s wrath. Chris could see enough blood and wounds on the man to indicate he had not emerged from his abduction of Alex unscathed.

While Vin’s mare’s leg was still in its holster, Chris assumed the unfamiliar weapon the tracker was aiming at Riley was the man’s own gun. Vin was holding the man at bay, appearing as if he were waiting for one of his comrades to arrive. The younger man let out a sigh of relief when he saw it was Chris stepping into the small clearing. With Alex's ruises and injuries, Chris wasn’t surprised. He hadn’t seen her in such a state since the night of her abduction by the Klan and a repeat of it now, made his jaw clench in anger. There and then, Chris made up his mind, the couple needed to get riding to Four Corners right away, or to any town close by with a doctor.

“Vin,” Chris announced himself.

“Chris,” Vin acknowledged him with a nod. “You want to deal with this trash while I take Alex back to town.”

“I got him,” Chris replied. He hadn’t holstered his gun since the gunfight with Miller and his men, and now aimed the peacemaker at Riley’s direction. “Miller’s gone,” he directed the comment at the foreigner. “Decided he wasn’t going to get cut down in a crossfire, when it didn’t look like he was going to get paid. So, it looks like it's just you and Cassandra, Mr Mason.”

“Go to hell,” Riley hissed angrily. “You call yourselves lawmen? You’re protecting a murderer! This isn’t over I’ll come...”

But before he could finish that sentence, Alex who until now seemed barely aware of anything as she clung to Vin, suddenly came alive and pulled away from her fiancé, to cut him off.

“You’ll do nothing.” She hissed, taking a slow but ginger step towards Riley Marshall.

“Doc, be careful,” Vin warned, not wanting her anywhere near the bastard.

“I’ll be fine,” she spoke as if she barely registered the warning and paused beyond arm’s length of the prisoner, confident both Chris and Vin’s guns would protect her if he tried to make a move. She had more faith in these two men than the heavens above. Staring at Riley, she glared at him with cold hatred.

“Get this through your head right now because after today, I’m done with you and your family.” Her voice was so cold and so far removed from her usual tone, it chilled Vin’s blood to hear it. Chris merely watched in interest, thinking he had seen killers with kinder eyes.

“If you manage to slither out of what you’ve tried to do to me and get home to England, you better stay there because you’re not the only one who has family there. Mine may not care about me, but I swear to you they will very much mind what your brother did to my father. I’ll make sure if anything happens to either me or Vin, the whole of London society will know Randall murdered my father, was prepared to kill me and butcher and entire village of women and children.”

“You don’t have any proof of that!” Riley spat.

“In London society, that’s not really needed is it?” 

Vin and Chris who knew nothing about English aristocracy or the reverential attention it paid to propriety and reputation, caught Riley flinching at the threat and knew Alex was absolutely right.

Riley said nothing because his decision to kill the woman instead of bringing her back to England, was based on that ugly possibility. Scandal was more fatal to the aristocracy than the loss of a favourite son. His mother would have to accept that as unpalatable as it might be to her. Still, the defiance hadn’t entirely left Riley and he glared at the doctor, furious at being thwarted by this woman and her primitive associates.

“So, what, I am to let you get away with killing my brother?”

“Why not?” Vin spoke up before Alex could. “Your brother got away with murdering her pa.”

“And we do have proof of what he did here,” Chris added. “I can have a dozen folk from the Seminole village willing to put down on paper, your brother ordering his men to gun them down. I got three decent, law abiding women who are willing to make a statement that your brother’s employee, Mr Rihs ordered their abduction to keep the law busy while he went after Doctor Styles. We have a lot more proof about what your brother did, than your confession from the lady, extracted under the threat of rape.”

Chris’s words were like a lash and Riley glowered in impotent fury, because each word drew blood.

“And if that’s not enough,” Alex said after she gave Chris a grateful smile before returning her attention to Riley. “If you ever come back here, I’ll be as merciful to you as I was to your brother. Don’t make the mistake of assuming my being a healer, will save you if I ever see you again."

Leaning forward, she spoke with a tone of menace not unlike that of a she-wolf ordering away interlopers to her den. She spoke in a tone so cold it told the Englishman, her next words were a warning he better pay attention to. Randall, Francis and now Riley had created a perfect storm of hatred inside her that was finally finding its voice.

“I know how to keep you alive while I’m carving you up like a Sunday roast. I know what arteries to keep the blood flowing so you’re conscious while I amputate every limb on your body, until all that’s left of you is a stump that needs wheeling around on a cart. With a scalpel, I can make you do it while you’re deaf, dumb and blind. The worst they can do to you is kill you,” she glanced at Vin and Chris respectively. “I can keep you alive and make you wish you were dead. Randall went to his death screaming. With you, I won’t be that _kind_.”

“And we’ll be happy to help,” Chris remarked with a vicious sneer as he exchanged a look with Vin who seemed somewhat taken back by the vehemence of Alex’s threat, but said nothing to refute her words.

In truth, Vin had no idea whether Alex could ever carry out such actions but judging by the fear he saw in Riley Marshall's eyes, it didn’t matter, she sounded convincing enough to make him believe it.

* * *

Leaving Chris and the others to deal with Riley Marshall and Cassandra Heglund, Vin decided not to waste time getting to Four Corners by wagon, not when Alex’s formidable rage had burned itself out and her remaining strength had finally dwindled. When her legs gave out under her, Vin was there to catch her, and he spared just enough time to wrap up her wound and stem the bleeding, before they were riding hard to Four Corners.

During the ride, he ruminated on what took place in the clearing. Vin had no idea she harboured such darkness inside of her but supposed after the ordeal of the last two months, he couldn’t blame her. Being pursued by Randall Mason, brutalised by Francis Lamont and by extension, the Klan, and then abducted by Randall’s brother Riley. After all that, he couldn’t blame her for her rage. People often underestimated how smart and resourceful she was, because of her beauty and gender. However, Vin knew what she was capable of when she aimed her intelligence at something other than healing.

At any case, it mattered little if she had some darkness inside her. So did he.

If there was any consolation to be had in this entire affair, Vin believed this would quash any feelings of guilt she felt about her actions regarding Randall Mason. In having to explain herself to Riley, she was given a timely reminder about just how insane Randall had been and how much danger he posed towards their life together. Confronting her guilt would allow her to live with it and heal.

Holding her close to him as Peso carried them home, Vin also considered the future Alex had been so willing to kill Randall to protect. Honestly, he considered their engagement as little more than a device to silence the wagging tongues of Four Corners and assumed, she believed the same. It never occurred to Vin, she considered a lifetime with him as early as the night they first made love.

Vin fell in love with Alex from the moment he saw her and the odyssey of discovery leading them to the same place in each other’s hearts had been difficult enough without him thinking so far ahead. Truth be told, he never considered her the marrying kind because she was so independent, then realised with shame, he never asked the question to know any different. Listening to her speak to Riley, made Vin realise she had been waiting for him to make some kind of declaration of understanding between them, as it was the proper thing to do for two people who were courting.

Vin felt somewhat ashamed he hadn’t seen it. After all, she gave herself to him body and soul, even with a bounty on his head and earning a dollar a day, while she despite her exotic parentage, was a lady in every sense of the word. He never thought someone like her could love him and yet she did, enough to want to bear his children and spend her life with him. It filled his heart with such a swell of happiness, Vin didn’t think he could feel any more for her than he already did.

As a young man, he seldom gave thought to a family, let alone having children but Alex’s hopes for the future made him turn his mind to the question. While he knew nothing about what kind of father he would make, he did know, any child of his would never experience pain or abuse while it was in his power to prevent it. They would never be forced to run away to the wilderness because it was kinder than a state-run orphanage. They would be loved and more importantly, they would have his name without ever needing to fight to claim it.

Thoughts of the orphanage turned Vin’s mind to Jay. While they were never friends at the orphanage, but they gained a healthy respect for each other. Vin truly believed Jay’s sincerity in claiming he would not have come under Mason’s employ if he had known about Vin’s relationship with Alex. Nevertheless, he had stood by and allowed Alex to be manhandled by his men and that was a slight Vin did not forgive easily. When they next encountered each other, he would decide whether to put a bullet between the man’s eyes for that sin.

After all, it was nothing _personal_.

* * *

Hours after Vin Tanner returned to Four Corners with Alexandra Styles Buck Wilmington found himself at the Standish Tavern in dire need of a drink.

With Mason and Cassandra, safely tucked away in jail, charged with kidnapping and attempted murder, they learned Nathan was still with the doctor at his Infirmary. Chris and the others had gone to see how she was doing and offer Vin their moral support, while Ezra kept watch over the prisoners. The gambler had a day to recover from his injuries and while he was nowhere fully restored, was well enough to guard the prisoners for a stretch.

Before Buck fronted at the Infirmary to see how the doctor was doing, he needed a drink or two to numb the pain of his guilt and the humiliation of being played by a woman he genuinely cared for. Even though Chris and JD assured him no one harboured any ill feeling towards him, Buck still felt the finger of accusation pointed in his direction, because once again, he’d been swayed by a pretty face.

Raised in a bordello, surrounded by women Christian society called ‘working girls’, Buck had known nothing but love and kindness from them and knew it coloured his view of the sex at times. His mother loved him like he was the most precious thing in the world and he supposed to her, he really was. Growing up, he saw the indignities suffered by women, not just the ones in the bordello with him but even the good Christian ones, who were expected to be virtuous, obedient and respectful, even though most of them were married to men who treated dogs better. Buck swore he would never be the same. Unfortunately, it was a trait, women like Cassandra found easy to exploit.

“You okay Senor?” Inez asked, having noticed Buck’s melancholy the instant she served him his drink before having to go attend other patrons at the bar. Now that it was quieter, she took a moment to observe him and saw the sadness in his eyes, an emotion she did not at all like seeing on his face.

No matter what Inez might tell herself, she knew she cared for the man. When he smiled, it was like seeing the sun come out from behind the clouds to cast golden rays on an otherwise grey day. No one who stood in his presence could feel unaffected by that light or the warmth it generated. Women were drawn to it; the way ancient princesses were drawn to gods visiting them as showers of gold. However, it was more than just warmth Inez saw. She saw his reverence for women, saw a heart so big, it made for an easy target. There was a fierce need in her to protect it but also stay away because she knew if she fell for him, it would be the end of her.

She would love Buck Wilmington until the day she died but was unwilling to put up with his philandering ways, no matter how much she cared for him.

Buck looked up and saw Inez staring at him, her expression not impatient or flippant as usual, but soft with genuine concern.

“I’ve had better days,” he frowned. “I suppose you know about Miss Cassandra?” He was certain Ezra would have told her about Cassandra’s complicity in Alex’s abduction by now, if not his part in the stage ambush.

“I do,” Inez remarked, glad to see her instincts about the woman had not been wrong. She hadn’t trusted Cassandra, not because of the way the woman had put her down, but the way she’d pursued Buck. It was all together too forward of a lady of her supposed refinement. “It is not your fault Senor, she uses her charms very well.”

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better,” Buck grumbled, taking a sip of his beer.

“Si,” she nodded, “but also because it’s true. She played you because she’s good at it Senor. There are women who know how to do that because for them, there is no other way to get along in life.”

Buck raised his eyes to her and said seriously, “that ain’t right.”

“It is the way it is Senor,” she said kindly, feeling her affection for him surface a little more at how sincerely he said those words. “Buck, you cared for her and she took advantage of that. I am sorry she hurt you but what happened is not your fault. If she couldn't use you to get what she wanted, she would have tried something else. This plan to kidnap Alex was in motion long before she met you. It would have taken place with or without your presence.”

Buck tried to tell himself that all the way home, but it did not penetrate until she said it with such conviction. Once again, the feeling of heart stopping excitement filled him whenever he looked at Inez, with her lovely skin and dazzling smile. He realised as beautiful as Cassandra was, she did not have the power to make his heart skip whenever Inez served him a drink with a smile, and how even a kind word from her could make him whistle all day.

“Thank you, Inez,” he said gratefully.

She reached for his cheek and touched his face, intending only to offer him comfort when his big hand covered her own. For a few seconds, that simple gesture generated more heat than a thousand suns and Inez felt her breath catch as she looked into his blue eyes and became lost in the intensity of his feelings for her.

“Why ain’t we together?” He asked, pleased by the fact she hadn’t drawn away yet.

“Because I’m worth waiting for,” she replied with an affectionate smile, breaking contact by withdrawing her hand. The smile remained on her face even when she turned away from him and went to serve other customers.

As he watched her go, Buck had to admit, he felt slightly better and agreed with her assessment.

“You sure are,” he said quietly, watching her take the sunshine with her. “You certainly are.”

* * *

They lay in her bed, both of them bare, facing each other across the cool sheets, the moonlight pouring through the open window of her bedroom, bathing them in sapphire colours. A slight breeze made the curtains flutter as they felt it across their skins, offering a stark contrast to the heat of their bodies.

It was almost a week since Alex’s abduction by Riley Marshall and though she was recovering nicely, she was nowhere entirely healed. Upon returning to Four Corners, Nathan had promptly performed a blood transfusion, using Vin and Mary Travis as donors, before he would even begin to think about repairing the damage caused by the gunshot.

As Alex suspected, she was nicked in the intestines and it was nothing less than luck that prevented her from becoming septic. The healer had done the best he could, repairing the damage and administering tinctures of cone flower to fight the infection resulting from her night in the river. Vin had kept watch over her during the days and snuck back at night when Inez, Mary and surprisingly enough Julia Pemberton, were unable to spare the time.

Riley Marshall and Cassandra Heglund had been moved to Eagle Bend for their trial, charged with attempted murder, kidnapping and attempted rape. Neither Riley nor Cassandra made any mention of Alex’s complicity in Randall Mason’s murder. A confession extracted by duress was worth nothing and Chris was convinced, Alex’s threat to release the truth about Randall’s activities in Four Corners to London society kept the man silent.

Meanwhile, rumour had it Johnny Miller and what remained of his gang, crossed the border not long after their confrontation. If they remained there, Chris was content to let them be someone else’s problem. Vin saw no reason to disagree with the gunslinger. He had no desire to face his old acquaintance any time soon. Not when he was more concerned with Alex’s recovery.

“I’m sorry Doc,” Vin said staring across the bed into her eyes.

While she was in no condition for anything lusty, Alex still wanted Vin to share her bed and they’d spent the nights he stayed with her, spooned against each other, simply enjoying each other’s warmth. Tonight, Vin thought with some pleasure, they had talked for the first time in ages, something that was absent since her ordeal with Francis Lamont. It was the surest indicator Vin had, Alex was finally moving past the traumas of the past few months.

“Sorry?” She looked at him, her fingertips brushing his lips. “What do you have to be sorry for, cowboy?”

“I should have asked you to marry me a lot sooner than that whole thing with the Klan. I should have asked you as soon as you woke up after Randall shot you.” He held her hand in place over his lips and kissed her fingertips gently.

“You weren’t ready,” Alex shrugged, not at all upset. She knew it was hard for him to make such solid plans, not with the price on his head. “I understood.”

“It still wasn’t right,” he replied, not about to absolve himself. “I love you Alex, I loved you from the minute you got off that stage. It wasn’t a matter of being ready, it was just assuming you were always going to be in my heart and there weren’t any need to say it because you knew it already.”

“I did,” her heart melted at his declaration. “Vin, I love you more than anything in this world. When I think of tomorrow, there’s only you and I could have waited for you forever, because I knew you’d never break my heart. I trust you.”

“As soon as this price is off my head Alex,” he swore to her. “We’ll be married the way we should be. I can’t see tomorrow without you either. I want to grow old with you Doc.”

Alex blinked and through the darkness, Vin could see the moisture glistening in her eyes at the pleasure she took in hearing those words. It still astonished him, he could mean so much to anyone but what was reflected in her eyes, spoke nothing else.

“You know” she said with a sad smile. “On the day my father died, he actually said he wanted me to meet someone. I think he was starting to worry I’d follow him forever and forget about having a life of my own.”

Vin wished he could have met the man and then worried what William Styles would have thought of him. “I don’t think he reckoned on you settling for someone like me.”

Alex shook her head and slid forward across the mattress towards him. Vin was more than willing to roll on his back and let her rest her head against his shoulder, while they held each other in the shadows and watched the moon staring at them through the window.

“Actually,” Alex replied, nestling comfortably into Vin’s arms. “I think you are _exactly_ what he would have wanted.”

 

**THE END**


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